Trump Touts Blanche Confirmation as Attorney General

Trump amplifies the swearing-in of Todd Blanche, his former personal lawyer, as U.S. attorney general after a 50-49 Senate vote.

First Published: August 16, 2026, 5:39 AM ET

WASHINGTON D.C. — Donald Trump amplified the swearing-in of Todd Blanche, his former personal lawyer, as U.S. attorney general after a bruising Senate confirmation fight.

Blanche was sworn in Monday, following the Senate’s 50-49 vote to confirm him, according to heartlandernews. The narrow margin came with two Republican defections, as Sens. Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska voted no with Democrats, according to heartlandernews. “Todd Blanche’s confirmation is a huge win for President Trump and our country,” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement, according to heartlandernews. “Todd is going to be a phenomenal Attorney General of the United States. The American people will be well served by his unwavering commitment to law and order.”

Here is the full post on truthsocial: “Todd Blanche sworn in as AG; White House celebrates “huge win”: https://heartlandernews.com/todd-blanche-sworn-in-as-ag-white-house-celebrates-huge-win/” on August 16, 2026 at 9:28 AM ET.

This is Trump’s 7th message released today, and the last post came moments ago, and it is not part of a thread. On average, Trump produces 18 posts per day since his inauguration on January 20, 2025. The move fits a broader pattern in Trump’s recent messaging, with 22 of his 542 posts over the last 30 days classified as Legal posts.

Blanche has led the Justice Department as acting attorney general since Pam Bondi was ousted in April, according to heartlandernews. He faced an uphill battle in the Senate due to resistance from several key Republicans, Trump mentioned the source (see heartlandernews). Sens. Thom Tillis and John Cornyn held up a key committee vote over a nearly $1.8 billion anti-weaponization fund they feared would become a slush fund for Trump’s political allies, according to heartlandernews. After Blanche confirmed in writing that the fund was dead, the senators advanced the vote to the full Senate, according to heartlandernews. Sen. Bill Cassidy, the final Republican holdout, cast a critical vote in favor.

Speaking on the Senate floor, Cassidy said Blanche had shown “poor judgment” in some areas, such as initially approving the anti-weaponization fund, but had since called it a mistake and “made efforts to kill the slush fund,” according to heartlandernews. “The choice is not between perfection and Mr. Blanche,” Cassidy said. “It is between Mr. Blanche and another acting attorney general who may not run the department effectively under President Trump and who indeed may not be as good as Mr. Blanche.” He added that the vote was “not a referendum on President Trump,” but rather “a decision regarding Mr. Blanche in very specific circumstances,” according to heartlandernews.

The confirmation places a Trump loyalist atop the agency that oversees federal prosecutions, the FBI and civil rights enforcement. After the Saturday vote, Blanche said he was “deeply honored by the trust and confidence President Trump has placed in me” and thanked senators for “staying late to complete this process,” according to heartlandernews. He also thanked “the dedicated public servants of the Department of Justice” for their work to uphold the law, according to heartlandernews.