Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche pauses while speaking during a press conference at the Justice Department in Washington, D.C., January 30, 2026. REUTERS/Elizabeth Frantz
Todd Blanche has made big moves to try and establish himself as a major figure in the Trump administration, but according to a new report from Politico, his efforts to join an elite and exclusive Washington D.C., social club have been met with a sharp rebuke: "We don't want you."
Previously serving as President Donald Trump's personal lawyer, Blanche was promoted from deputy attorney general to acting attorney general at the Justice Department following the ouster of Pam Bondi. Trump has yet to announce a proper nominee to head up the agency, but reports indicate that Blanche is making a serious play for the full-time job, attempting to rack up "wins" that will impress Trump, with some insider sources claiming that the gig is currently his to lose.
One thing that is not going so well for the acting AG is his effort to join the Metropolitan Club, which Politico on Tuesday described as "one of Washington’s oldest private clubs," which "claims D.C. royalty as members." He reportedly began the "rigorous process" to become a member of the prestigious club last February, but now, his "polarizing" status has club leadership balking at the prospect of admitting him.
"... At least six members have written to the Met Club’s board of directors to object to Blanche’s joining, saying he’s too polarizing and has politicized the Justice Department, according to two current members who have seen or been told about the letters," Politico detailed.
“He is targeting a lot of people, and the Justice Department is targeting a lot of the members of the club, like judges, nonprofit organizations and universities,” one member told the outlet, speaking anonymously due to the group's prohibition on talking to the media.
The member added later: “The Trump administration is at war with most American institutions, and so the people who represent those institutions, many of them are at the club. And the club is the kind of place where you want to be able to relax and have a congenial conversation. But if he’s in there, given that the Justice Department is so combative and aggressive, this is not the kind of tone that we want.”
Another member, who wrote to the Met Club board in opposition to Blanche's admission, called his conduct at the DOJ "pretty startling," and warned that the club "has current and former judges among its ranks who could take offense."
A third member expressed frustration at the club's slipping standards and urged that Blanche must be rejected for the sake of its reputation.
"I am disappointed that the club’s standards are slipping on so many levels and can only hope that the club leadership will recover, grab the rudder and set us on a smooth sail once again," the member told Politico.