Trump says he will nominate Todd Blanche as attorney general

President Donald Trump said Wednesday that he will nominate acting Attorney General Todd Blanche to serve in the role permanently.

“We are going to make him permanent attorney general,” Trump said during an event in the Rose Garden. A video of the announcement was posted to social media by a White House aide.

Trump appointed Blanche, a former personal lawyer to the president, to lead the Justice Department in an acting capacity after firing then-Attorney General Pam Bondi in April.

MS NOW reported the planned nomination earlier Wednesday, citing a senior administration official. CNN was the first to report the news.

When asked about Blanche’s anticipated nomination, White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson said, “President Trump has a great relationship with acting Attorney General Todd Blanche and is very pleased with the job he’s doing so far.”

“Todd Blanche is an American patriot who fearlessly fought against the Democrats’ unprecedented lawfare campaign on behalf of President Trump,” Jackson continued. “The President’s entire team at the Department of Justice is doing a great job advocating for sanity, law and order, and policies that keep Americans safe.”

In an interview on The New York Post’s “Pod Force One” podcast published earlier Wednesday, Trump was asked if he had decided whether Blanche would be attorney general.

“I think he will,” the president said.

When asked whether he had someone else in mind for the role, Trump said no and appeared to rule out nominating Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, though he called him “very good” and “a friend of mine.”