By Charles Switzer
3:05am PDT, May 2, 2025
Attorney General Pam Bondi's Statement
During a Cabinet meeting on Wednesday, April 30, Attorney General
Pam Bondi made a controversial and mathematically questionable claim about President
Donald Trump's efforts to curb the opioid crisis in the United States.
In a speech that lauded Trump's impact on law enforcement, she stated that the administration's actions, particularly in the fight against fentanyl trafficking, had saved "258 million lives."
This claim was made in the context of Trump's directives to the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and other agencies.
Here is a rundown of the AG's statements.
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Bondi's Praise for Trump's Leadership
Pam Bondi began by showering praise on Donald Trump's
first 100 days in office, asserting, "Mr. President, your first 100 days has far exceeded that of any other presidency in this country. Ever. Ever. Never seen anything like it. Thank you."
She continued by emphasizing Trump's directive to her: "Your directive to me was simple: make America safe." She highlighted the work of the DEA, particularly the significant amount of fentanyl that had been seized under Trump's leadership, noting, "Since you have been in office, President Trump, your DOJ agencies have seized more than 22 million fentanyl pills, 3,400 kilos of fentanyl."
The 258 Million Lives Claim
Pam Bondi's most striking statement came when she said, "This saved — are you ready for this, media? — 258 million lives."
She elaborated on the consequences of fentanyl use, pointing to the increasing number of deaths from fentanyl-laced drugs, often used unknowingly by people who believe they are purchasing other substances. "Kids are dying every day because they are taking this junk laced with something else," she added.
Bondi's claim, however, sparked immediate skepticism from analysts and commenters online due to its improbable magnitude.
Critique of the 258 Million Figure
The claim that the Donald Trump administration's actions saved 258 million lives is mathematically questionable, according to journalist
Sarah Rumpf writing for
Mediaite. The most recent U.S. Census estimates the population to be roughly 340 million people, meaning Pam Bondi's figure exceeds the total U.S. population, she claimed.
Additionally, Rumpf described how the DEA's estimates about the
potential lethality of fentanyl often rely on exaggerated assumptions about the number of deaths per kilogram of fentanyl seized. Even if we were to use the DEA's claim that 1 kilogram of fentanyl could potentially kill 500,000 people, the numbers AG Bondi cited would still be far beyond any realistic scenario, she concluded.
Social Media Reactions
On social media, reactions to Pam Bondi's claim varied widely.
Some users expressed disbelief, with one X user writing, "258 million lives? Is she serious? There aren't even that many people in the U.S.!"
Others mocked the claim, with one commenter saying, "Well, if you take into account every person who might
possibly be at risk of fentanyl, maybe… but still absurd."
However, some supporters defended the statement, arguing that Bondi was simply highlighting the significant efforts made in curbing the opioid crisis, even if the numbers were exaggerated. "This administration has done more than any other to combat the opioid epidemic, and they deserve credit for that," wrote one commenter on
Elon Musk's platform.
