Last month, Bondi told a friend that Trump’s willingness to fire Kristi Noem from her post as homeland security secretary meant she might be in jeopardy too. But Bondi had not expected the man responsible for elevating her to drop the curtain quite so soon, according to four people familiar with the situation.

On Wednesday, the 60-year-old Bondi joined Trump for a glum crosstown drive to the Supreme Court. In the car, Trump told her it was time for a change at the top of the Justice Department. Bondi hoped to save her job or buy time until the summer to give herself a graceful exit. She ended up with neither and grew emotional after she realised she was out. The next morning, Trump made it official and fired her via social media post.

Bondi’s precipitous fall laid bare a cornerstone truth of Trump’s second term: Loyalty, flattery and obeisance are prerequisites for power, but they don’t provide durable protection from a president intent on carrying out his maximalist personal and political goals. Bondi, even her allies acknowledged, was largely responsible for putting herself in a vulnerable position. Her turbulent 14 months were characterised by missteps and messaging misfires that had alienated Republicans on Capitol Hill.

Her firing came roughly two weeks before she was required to appear before the House Oversight Committee to testify under oath about her actions in the Epstein case. But the far greater danger came from Trump, upon whom she heaped lavish, and at times cartoonish, praise. While she effused, he fumed. Trump has been particularly angry about the Justice Department’s failure to win cases involving his political opponents, including against former FBI director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James.

One key Trump adviser, federal housing official Bill Pulte, had long pushed for her firing, blaming her for bungling the James and Comey cases. People close to Bondi also said that Boris Epshteyn, the longtime Trump legal adviser, was a significant factor in the decision. Bondi’s most important ally in the West Wing, chief of staff Susie Wiles, found it increasingly difficult to defend the woman she called her “sister.” Nonetheless, she made a passionate argument for retaining Bondi until the end.

In recent weeks, Bondi tried to shore up her position by moving more aggressively against investigative targets singled out by Trump, including former Obama official John O Brennan and a former White House aide, Cassidy Hutchinson. It is not entirely clear if any specific action finally tipped the balance for Trump, who had been reluctant to fire senior officials to avoid reprising the chaotic personnel turnover of his first administration.

But with the dismissal of Noem and now Bondi, that might be changing. His calculus appears to have shifted after the quick confirmation of Markwayne Mullin as Noem’s replacement. Now, Trump’s allies see Lori Chavez-DeRemer, the labour secretary, as a potential contender for the next Cabinet secretary to be dismissed.