Trump

Pam Bondi Fired: A Look at Her Work for Freedom, Families and Children

President Donald Trump announced this morning that Pam Bondi was fired from her position as attorney general. “She will be transitioning to a much needed and important new job in the private sector,” he stated.

He also stated that Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche would be serving as acting attorney general until her replacement is nominated and confirmed. 

In a post on Truth Social, the president praised Bondi as “a Great American Patriot and a loyal friend” who “did a tremendous job overseeing a massive crackdown in Crime across our Country, with Murders plummeting to their lowest level since 1900.” 

As head of the Department of Justice, Bondi had done much to protect religious freedom, families and children. Here are just a few examples of those actions. 

Religious Freedom

Instead of weaponizing the FBI to intimidate and arrest pro-life supporters or targeting “radical-traditionalist Catholics” as “violent extremists,” both of which had taken place in the Biden administration, Bondi worked to affirm religious freedom and protect places of worship. 

When a group of activists, including former CNN anchor Don Lemon, invaded Cities Church in St. Paul, Minnesota in January, Bondi had the pro-illegal alien activists arrested. She made clear that the DOJ was committed to protecting religious freedom, posting on X, “We will protect our houses of worship.” 

Protecting Girls Sports

Under Bondi’s leadership, the DOJ acted against schools and state education departments that allowed boys to participate in girls sports and to use girls locker rooms, showers and restrooms.

In April 2025, the Departments of Justice and Education announced the formation of “the Title IX Special Investigations Team … to ensure timely, consistent resolutions to protect students, and especially female athletes, from the pernicious effects of gender ideology in school programs and activities.” 

Among other actions, the DOJ filed a civil lawsuit against Maine for failing to protect women in women’s sports; sued the California Department of Education and California Interscholastic Federation for violating Title IX; and filed suit against Minnesota for discriminating against girls by failing to “protect girls sports and intimate spaces.” 

Standing Against Transgenderism

The former attorney general took a strong stand against the mutilation of confused children with “transgender” medical interventions. In an April 2025 memo, Bondi directed the DOJ to investigate “transgender” medical interventions performed on minors. 

Among other actions to protect children, she told attorneys to investigate manufacturers and distributors who promote the off-label use of puberty blocking drugs and opposite-sex hormones; pursue investigations of false claims submitted to federal health care programs for claims related to radical gender experimentation; and work with whistleblowers who have knowledge of any violations under the False Claims Act.

Those actions led to hospitals, clinics and universities across the country shutting down programs that damaged countless minors with experimental and mutilating puberty blockers, opposite sex hormones and surgeries. 

Fox News said the president was “reportedly considering replacing Bondi with Environmental Protection Agency Director Lee Zeldin, according to the sources familiar with the matter.” 

The news outlet pointed to controversy over her handling of files about the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein as part of the motive for her firing. 

In a press release, Bondi stated: 

Over the next month I will be working tirelessly to transition the office of Attorney General to the amazing Todd Blanche before moving to an important private sector role I am thrilled about, and where I will continue fighting for President Trump and this Administration. 

She said leading the department was “the honor of a lifetime,” and pointed to accomplishments such as securing “the lowest murder rate in 125 years” and the “first-ever terrorism convictions against members of Antifa.” 

The Daily Citizen wishes Pam Bondi well and is grateful for her good work on behalf of religious freedom, families and children. 

Related articles and resources: 

Attorney General Pam Bondi Sues Maine for Title IX Violations

Department of Justice Launches Title IX Task Force to Protect Women’s Sports

DOJ Arrests Three Activists Who Disrupted Cities Church Service in St. Paul

DOJ Targets Those Mutilating Children with ‘Transgender’ Drugs and Surgeries

Don Lemon, Other Activists Arrested for Disrupting Church Service in St. Paul

The FBI Deeply Needs Reform – and Fast

FBI Investigates Three Major Hospitals for Mutilating Children

Feds Pressure California After Boy Wins in Girls Track and Field Championship

Maine Schools Violated Title IX, Must Apologize, Feds Say

More Hospitals Stop Mutilation of Sexually Confused Children

Pam Bondi Directs DOJ Attorneys to Investigate Transgender Procedures for Minors

Pam Bondi Pledges to End ‘Partisan Weaponization’ of Department of Justice

President Trump Signs Order Protecting Children From Transgender Medical Interventions

Making Statues Great Again

On Sunday, a new statue of Christopher Columbus was placed on the White House grounds. It’s a 13-foot-tall, one-ton marble masterpiece now sitting just outside the Eisenhower Executive Office Building adjacent to the West Wing.

In announcing the news, the administration stated on X, “In this White House, Christopher Columbus is a hero, and President Trump will ensure he’s honored as such for generations to come.”

Designed and crafted by Maryland sculptor Will Hemsley, the statue is a replica of the one that anarchists threw into Baltimore’s Inner Harbor in the summer of 2020. Back during that rage-fueled season, unhinged provocateurs were lashing out over cultural claims of racial injustice. Along with the desecration and destruction of the Columbus statue, more than 30 monuments were torn down or removed.

Ronald Reagan was president in 1984 when the original monument was dedicated. During his remarks just outside the “Gateway” to Baltimore’s “Little Italy,” he stated:

When Columbus discovered America, he set in force a motion mightier than the world had ever known. People came here from every corner of the planet to be free and to improve their lot and that of their family. Well, we got off course a few years ago, but now we’ve set the good ship Columbia back sailing in the right direction. And I thank you for letting me be here to help you honor the man who started it all, Christopher Columbus.

History revisionists with an agenda shade truth or ignore inconvenient facts altogether. One of the popular anti-Columbus narratives is that the sailing explorer was driven by greed and a desire to exploit others. In fact, he was a devout believer in Jesus Christ. He saw himself as a missionary in search of new people and new pathways to share the Good News of Jesus Christ.

Those goals and Columbus’ pioneering accomplishments make the mere mortal man worthy of becoming a monument. 

In the early days of America, modest monuments were constructed to acknowledge both people and turning points in history. The Bunker Hill Monument marked the beginning of the American Revolution. Engraved on the 221-foot granite obelisk is a phrase taken from Governor William Bradford of Plymouth Plantation. It reads, “His hand that made all things of nothing.” It’s taken from his larger observation that God can do great and mighty things from very little.

The Washington Monument obelisk was intended to honor America’s first president and his noble ideals, especially his commitment to freedom and independence. At the very top, facing east to receive the day’s first rays of sunshine, are two Latin words: “Laus Deo” or “Praise be to God”.

Not every statue or monument is intended to communicate such firmness of faith, but many of the men and women carved out of stone or whose images have been hewn out of metal were strong and unapologetic Christian believers. In most cases, those testimonies were not ancillary to their greatness but the driving force behind it.

Replacing or restoring statues that were vandalized or recklessly torn down is a helpful step in reminding Americans about the heroes on whose shoulders we stand. But simply returning to the status quo by putting back up old monuments won’t necessarily tell the full story of America’s storied history.

That’s why President Trump, in conjunction with America’s semiquincentennial, has announced plans for the “Garden of American Heroes” in Washington, D.C. in an area just south of the National Mall. It would include 250 life-size statues made of marble, granite, bronze, copper and brass. 

Officials have stated historical figures like George Washington and Benjamin Franklin will be featured, but the Garden will also include a broad spectrum of other personalities ranging from Harriet Tubman to Babe Ruth to Walt Disney and Thomas Edison. 

As Christians, we recognize that Jesus of Nazareth was the one and only perfect person who has ever walked the earth. As such, we don’t bow down or make idols of anyone, but that doesn’t mean we can’t acknowledge, honor, and learn from the achievements of others.

In an era when historic monuments and statues have been toppled or torn down in protest, the rising generation deserves to know more about the men and women whose faith and sacrifice helped build our country.

HHS Tells States Not to Remove Children From Parents Who Affirm Biological Reality

The Trump administration is protecting parental rights and warning states not to remove children from their parents’ custody solely because they do not affirm their child’s self-professed “gender identity.”

The Administration for Children and Families (ACF) at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) sent a letter to all 50 states reminded them that “state child welfare agencies must base child removal decisions on objective evidence of abuse or imminent risk of harm” under the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act.

The letter warns states “not to interpret federal definitions too broadly in ways that infringe on parental rights or lead to unnecessary foster placements by removing children for reasons that do not constitute abuse and neglect.”

Furthermore, the letter informs states “that removing a child based solely on a parent’s sincerely held religious beliefs or moral convictions” may violate the Constitution’s free exercise clause and that “removing a child for these reasons may harm both the child and the parents.”

ACF Assistant Secretary Alex J. Adams said in a statement announcing the letter, “Parents have the right to raise their children according to their sincerely held religious beliefs and moral convictions.”

Assistant Secretary Adams and HHS Assistant Secretary for Health Admiral Brian Christine released a video announcing the letter.

Assistant Secretary Adams also appeared on Newsmax to discuss the development.

HHS said the letter is a part of the Trump administration’s effort to “defend parental rights and children’s health.”

“Acknowledging biological reality and exercising sincerely held religious beliefs should not constitute child abuse or neglect under federal law,” the agency said.

Think ACF’s letter is unnecessary? Think again.

Two years in a row, Colorado lawmakers have introduced legislation threatening parents’ rights if they don’t immediately support their child’s “transition” to a new “gender identity.” California lawmakers introduced similar legislation in 2023.

Colorado’s Senate Bill 26-018, in its original form, would have required courts to consider whether or not a parent supports a child’s “identity as it relates to a protected class” when “determining parenting time and allocation of decision-making responsibilities.”

These protected “identities” include a child’s “gender identity” and “gender expression.”

The bill is so radical that Colorado Governor Jared Polis intervened to kill the provision for a second year in a row. But if past is prologue, the legislation will surely be introduced again.

Across the nation, children have already been removed from their parents’ custody solely because they affirmed biological reality and would not affirm their child’s “gender identity” – even in red states like Indiana, Montana, Texas and Arizona.

Mary and Jeremy Cox, residents of Indiana, had their 16-year-old son – who began identifying as a female – removed from their custody because the state’s Department of Child Services argued he needed to be in a home that accepted his “gender identity.” One where “she [would be] accepted for who she is,” the state claimed.

So yes, states kidnapping children from parents who won’t affirm their sexual identity confusion is a large and growing evil. One that, thankfully, ACF is paying attention to and addressing.

The agency said it “will continue to monitor states’ compliance with federal child welfare requirements” and “ensure federal funds are used consistent with the law.”

Assistant Secretary Adams said,

When states overstep their bounds, ACF will take action to deter inappropriate policies that drive unnecessary interactions with child welfare systems.

To speak with a family help specialist or request resources, please call us at 1-800-A-FAMILY (232-6459).

Related articles and resources:

Colorado Bill Would Force Parents to Accept Child’s New ‘Gender Identity’

Focus on the Family Testifies Against Nightmare Bill, Colorado’s Radical ‘Trans’ Legislation Advances

Photo from Getty Images.

Public Prayer Can Inspire a Nation

Can prayer be contagious?

Earlier this week, a photo was shared on social media of members of President Trump’s Cabinet praying before the State of the Union address.

It’s not clear who led the prayer, or how they prayed — but it’s not the first time public prayer has been associated with the Trump White House.

President Trump has been known to open Cabinet meetings with prayer.

Scott Turner, who serves as the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), and who is a former pastor at Prestonwood Baptist Church in Plano, Texas, has previously invoked the Lord before White House meetings.

Presidents have long talked about seeking the Lord’s guidance and direction, often before big decisions or historic moments. Of late, images of members of President Trump’s advisors praying have surfaced on social media. 

A video of Karoline Leavitt praying before a press briefing was released last year by one of Mr. Trump’s assistants. In the video, we hear Ms. Leavitt:

“Lord Jesus, please give us the strength, the knowledge, the ability to articulate our words and have fun and be confident. In Jesus’ name. Amen.”

During the National Prayer Breakfast earlier this year, President Trump spoke about how Speaker of the House Mike Johnson asks to pray before meals in the Oval Office.

“Did you know that, Mr. Speaker, you know, Mike Johnson’s a very religious person, that he does not hide it?” Trump said. “He’ll say to me sometimes at lunch, ‘Sir, may we pray?’ I say, ‘Excuse me, we’re having lunch in the Oval.’ It’s okay with me. But, he’s a very religious person and he is popular, and he’s doing an unbelievable job.”

Strong Christians understand exactly what Speaker Johnson is doing, which is inviting the Lord to both bless and inform the gathering, wherever it might be. Christians may not always pray before meals out in public, but it’s a wonderful practice and tradition. While we shouldn’t pray for show or to impress anyone, public prayer can serve as a public witness — and certainly inspire and encourage others to do the same.

That’s because prayer is contagious.

“I pray because I cannot help myself,” wrote C.S. Lewis. “I pray because I am helpless. I pray because the need flows out of me all the time.”

Dietrich Bonhoeffer called prayer “the breath of the Christian community.” Dr. Billy Graham preached, “When we come to Christ, we are not alone; we are joined with all who seek Him in prayer.”

Whether at the U.S. Capitol or the White House, it is good to see people seeking the Lord’s guidance in humble and contrite fashion.

ICE, Frogs and Giraffes: Highlights From Responses to the State of the Union

Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger delivered the official Democrat response to President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address on February 24. But lawmakers held at least five rallies reacting to and protesting his remarks, including a “State of the Swamp” rally and a “People’s State of the Union.”

Many speakers reacted unfavorably to immigration and tariff policies, attacked Department of Government Efficiency cuts in spending, or said the president would give a dishonest representation of the country. 

With more than 70 legislators boycotting the president’s address, here are a few memorable moments from the protest rallies they participated in, along with some highlights from Gov. Spanberger’s official response. 

State of the Swamp Rally

At the same time that the president was giving his speech to Congress, a four-hour State of the Swamp rally took place at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C.

Attendees were addressed by Democrat statespersons such as Reps. Eugene Vinman (VA) andJason Crowe (CO), New York congressional candidate George Conway, and former Georgia State Minority Leader Stacey Abrams. 

Miles Taylor, who served for a short time in the first Trump administration as Chief of Staff at the Department of Homeland Security under Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen, organized the eventthrough his organization DEFIANCE.org. 

Taylor encouraged the audience, saying, “Laugh … if it’s funny. If it’s not, boo him off the stage.… We’re going to get a lot of energy in this room.” 

He then introduced his co-hosts, the Portland Frog Brigade, explaining their significance to the uninformed: 

If you had your head buried in the sand last year, you might have missed that the symbol of defiance in the United States of America became the frog. Why?
Because when Donald Trump looked into Portland, Oregon, and he said, “The protesters are terrorists and insurrectionists,” some brave people showed up at an ICE facility armed with inflatable frog costumes.
They inflated. They danced to EDM [electronic dance music] music, and it was one of the greatest “the Emperor Has No Clothes Events” in American history. 

Portland Frogs Defy Authoritarianism With Ribbits and Dancing

Portland Congresswoman Maxine Dexter spoke at the State of the Swamp rally, describing the city’s response as the National Guard was deployed there to address violent protests against the actions of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers: 

When Donald Trump said Portland was a war zone, when he tried to send in federal troops, boom. When he tried to scare America into submission, Portland answered.
We answered with frog costumes. We answered with dancing, singing, and joy when Trump wanted us to cower in fear. And today, there is no federal takeover of Portland. That’s right. That’s right. … 
And our movement is filled with people who refuse to sit down, to shut up, or even to stop ribbiting. Yes.

In a show of solidarity with the Brigade, many attendees wore frog headgear. 

Activists actors like Mark Ruffalo, Robert De Niro and Robby Roadsteamer — dressed in his signature giraffe onesie — also spoke at the rally, calling on citizens to engage in politics and speaking out against the loss of freedom of speech in America. 

Roadsteamer said he was arrested for protesting ICE and singing songs with witty lyrics like, “Hey Mister Tangerine Man, get rid of brown people for me, I’m Aryan white, there ain’t no place I’m going to.” 

People’s State of the Union Rally on the National Mall

Activist groups MoveOn and Meidas Touch News sponsored a second rally with even more legislators attending. 

As reported by Politico, “A few hundred people braved the cold to gather on the National Mall for a ‘People’s State of the Union,’ joining about three dozen Democratic members of Congress who are boycotting Donald Trump’s address.”

MoveOn Executive Director Katie Bethell explained the reason for the rally: 

So why are we boycotting, why are we boycotting the State of the Union? We’re boycotting because we know that Donald Trump’s State of the Union will bear no resemblance to what’s actually happening in this country today. He will lie, distort, and ignore the real stories.

Bethel went on to describe “the thousands of people who are afraid every day because of ICE roaming their streets” and “the millions of people who’ve lost their healthcare on his watch.” 

Independent journalists Joy Reid, of the Joy Reid Show, and Katie Phang, of the Katie Phang News Channel, hosted the event. Reid told the crowd, “We are both exes of the artist formerly known as MSNBC. We are so excited to be here.” 

WASHINGTON, DC – FEBRUARY 24: Attorney and political commentator Katie Phang (L) and journalist Joy Reid (R) host the People’s State Of The Union Rally And Boycott Outside The Capitol on the National Mall on February 24, 2026 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Jemal Countess/Getty Images for MoveOn)

The event lasted more than three hours, featuring speakers like Senators Jeff Merkley (OR), Adam Schiff (CA), Chris Murphy (CT) and Ruben Gallego (AZ). 

Murphy was interrupted by a protestor yelling, “Go Trump! Go Trump!” before security rushed him off the stage. 

Sen. Markey (MA) was introduced by Reid as “the author of the Green New Deal.” He thanked the rather subdued crowd and then gave a memorable description of the president’s address to Congress, saying: 

The State of the Union should be a moment of truth, a reckoning with reality, a commitment to the common good. But under Donald Trump, it has become a lies-paloozathat goes on for hours. With him, if he was Pinocchio, his nose would stretch across the entire length of the floor of the Congress this evening.

Representatives Pramila Jayapal (WA), Yassamin Ansari (AZ), Ayanna Pressley (MA), and Greg Casar (TX) also spoke. 

Governor Abigail Spanberger’s Official Rebuttal

The governor spoke from Colonial Williamsburg, VA, asking Americans three questions: 

• Is the president working to make life more affordable for you and your family? 

• Is the president working to keep Americans safe both at home and abroad? 

• Is the president working for you?

WILLIAMSBURG, VIRGINIA – FEBRUARY 24: Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger delivers the Democratic response to U.S. President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address on February 24, 2026 in Williamsburg, Virginia. Spanberger is serving in her first year as governor and is the first woman to hold the position in the Commonwealth of Virginia. (Photo by Mike Kropf/Getty Images)

Her speech explained that the answer to all three questions was “No,” adding: 

His reckless trade policies have forced American families to pay more than $1,700 each in tariff costs. Small businesses have suffered. Farmers have suffered, some losing entire markets.

Like those who spoke at the alternative rallies, she decried the administration’s immigration policies, saying: 

Our president has sent poorly trained federal agents into our cities where they have arrested and detained American citizens and people who aspire to be Americans, and they have done it without a warrant.
They have ripped nursing mothers away from their babies. They have sent children, a little boy in a blue bunny hat, children, to far off detention centers and they have killed American citizens in our streets.

Governor Spanberger attacked the president’s foreign policy and the downsizing of federal agencies. She accused President Trump of “enriching himself, his family, his friends,” adding: 

There’s the cover up of the Epstein files, the crypto scams, cozying up to foreign princes for airplanes and billionaires for ballrooms, putting his name and face on buildings all over our nation’s capital. This is not what our founders envisioned, not by a long shot.

Spanberger concluded by touting Democrat victories in Virginia, New Jersey and other states and encouraged listeners “to unite in a common cause to move this nation forward.” 

Related articles and resources: 

‘Everyday Americans’ Honored at Address to Congress

First Lady Welcomes Foster and Adoptive Families to the White House

President Trump: “No state can be allowed to rip children from their parents’ arms”

What to Expect From Trump’s State of the Union Address 

Photos from Getty Images and YouTube “State of the Swamp: A Night of Defiance.”