President Donald Trump announced that he has fired Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, marking the first cabinet reshuffle of his second term. The situation reached a breaking point when Noem told Senator John Kennedy under oath that she had received Trump's approval for a $220 million taxpayer-funded campaign intended to boost her national profile.
She testified that the president had signed off on the multi-million-dollar advertising effort during congressional questioning this week. However, reports suggest that her claim came as a shock to Trump. "I never knew anything about it," he told Reuters in an interview on Thursday. Trump has been furious since the revelation and immediately fired Kristi Noem.
Noem Ousted for Lying
Noem has also been facing intense scrutiny over claims that she had an affair with her top adviser, Corey Lewandowski. Both Noem and Lewandowski have denied those allegations. It remains unclear whether Lewandowski will leave the Department of Homeland Security following Noem's firing.
"I am pleased to announce that the Highly Respected United States Senator from the Great State of Oklahoma, Markwayne Mullin, will become the United States Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS), effective March 31, 2026," Trump wrote on Truth Social.
"The current Secretary, Kristi Noem, who has served us well, and has had numerous and spectacular results (especially on the Border!), will be moving to be Special Envoy for The Shield of the Americas, our new Security Initiative in the Western Hemisphere we are announcing on Saturday in Doral, Florida. I thank Kristi for her service at 'Homeland.'"
The president praised Senator Markwayne Mullin for his Native American heritage and said he believed the lawmaker "will make a spectacular Secretary of Homeland Security."
Meanwhile, a Senate committee questioned Noem about the $220 million advertising campaign and how the funds for it were approved and distributed.
During her testimony on Tuesday, Noem told lawmakers there had been "a competitive process" to award the contract and insisted that it was "all done correctly, all done legally."
Trump Had No Knowledge
One advertisement from the costly campaign featured Noem wearing a cowboy hat while riding a horse with Mount Rushmore in the background. People close to the president told NBC News on Thursday that Trump was considering removing Noem from her position.
Reports also suggested that if she were replaced, Senator Markwayne Mullin could be chosen as her successor.
When asked on Thursday whether he was being considered to lead the Department of Homeland Security, Mullin avoided giving a direct answer.
"Listen, I haven't talked to the President all week, so I couldn't even help you with that answer," he said.
When reporters asked if he would be interested in the role, Mullin once again declined to comment. "I'm actually absolutely not dealing with hypotheticals," he shot back.
Just hours after his earlier remarks, Trump announced that Mullin would replace Noem. The controversy surrounding Noem went beyond the advertising campaign and the alleged affair, as several other issues had also drawn criticism during her time in office.
Earlier this year, the DHS secretary faced major backlash after federal immigration agents shot and killed two American citizens—Renée Good and Alex Pretti—during enforcement operations in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
