Kristi Noem, the former South Dakota congresswoman and governor who has led President Donald Trump’s Department of Homeland Security in his second term, was ousted from her position on Thursday.
President Donald Trump announced on Truth Social that he will nominate Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., to replace Noem, effective March 31.
‘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.’’
Trump said Mullin has done a ‘tremendous job’ in Congress and cited his resume as a former undefeated MMA fighter.
‘As the only Native American in the Senate, Markwayne is a fantastic advocate for our incredible Tribal Communities. Markwayne will work tirelessly to Keep our Border Secure, Stop Migrant Crime, Murderers, and other Criminals from illegally entering our Country, End the Scourge of Illegal Drugs and, MAKE AMERICA SAFE AGAIN,’ Trump said.
Mullin is the first Native American senator in decades, following Sen. Ben Nighthorse Campbell of Colorado.
Noem, 54, will likely be at least temporarily replaced by Deputy Secretary Troy Edgar, a Navy veteran and former mayor of Los Alamitos, California, in the line of succession for the agency.
Noem’s tenure marked a distinct reversal of the open-border policies permitted by predecessor Alejandro Mayorkas during the Biden administration, and DHS has notched record drug interdictions totaling more than half a million pounds of illegal drugs in her first year.
Her management of Trump’s mass deportation agenda has also led to more than 2 million reported self-deportations in 2025 and about 670,000 removals of illegal immigrants, a figure supporters have hailed as the most successful immigration enforcement operation in history.
Her agency has also been unafraid to hit back at high-profile critics, including California Gov. Gavin Newsom; Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif.; Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz; and 2026 midterm candidate David Trone of Maryland, who accused DHS of ‘executing people in the streets’ as he filmed a protest ad outside a Williamsport compound recently purchased for use as a detention facility.
Such criticisms of her mass deportation operations, particularly in Minneapolis, appeared to somewhat sour public sentiment on the administration’s handling of the immigration issue, as U.S. Border Patrol Cmdr. Gregory Bovino — a DHS subordinate — was replaced in the Twin Cities by border czar Tom Homan amid the firestorm.
Meanwhile, reports surfaced Thursday that Trump is ‘furious’ with Noem over her performance in bicameral Judiciary Committee hearings this week, particularly over a contract for an advertisement that Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., and others grilled her on.
Trump reportedly took issue with her suggesting to Kennedy that he approved a taxpayer-funded ad subcontracted to a firm connected with her inner circle, according to National Review, which also reported that Mullin was being considered a top candidate for her replacement.
A White House official confirmed to Fox News that Trump did not know about the ad and did not approve it, despite her claims to the contrary at the hearings.
‘It was a combination of her many unfortunate leadership failures. From [Minnesota] to the ad campaign to the allegations of an affair,’ a source familiar with the situation told Fox News.
When confronted by reporters on the Capitol steps, Mullin indicated he had only short notice of Trump’s decision to pick him as Noem’s successor.
‘No, the president and I still have to communicate so we’ll talk about it moving forward,’ Mullin said. ‘The president and I have already talked – We have to talk to the president and get on the same page… I’ll talk to you all [later].’
In Wednesday’s House hearing, Noem was questioned by Rep. Sydney Kamlager-Dove, D-Calif., over rumors of an affair with DHS ‘special government employee’ Corey Lewandowski, a top figure in Trump’s 2016 campaign.
Noem criticized Kamlager-Dove in response, as her husband, insurance company owner and former South Dakota first gentleman Bryon Noem, sat just feet behind her.
Kamlager-Dove asked Noem if at any time during her tenure she had ‘sexual relations with Corey Lewandowski,’ before slamming the longtime Trump aide as a ‘failed campaign manager’ and someone lacking military experience.
Rep. Jared Moskowitz, D-Fla., followed up, pressing Noem on Lewandowski while wearing a Justice for Cricket pin, referencing the dog Noem once wrote she had to euthanize on her farm.
‘I really think you need to say the word ‘no’ into the record so that you can clear that up,’ Moskowitz said.
Noem pushed back hard on both Democrats, saying what they were implying is ‘offensive’ and telling Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, that she was ‘shocked that we’re going down and peddling this tabloid garbage in this committee today.’
‘The socialist, liberal left: you go off and you attack conservative women and you say that we’re either stupid or we’re sluts. That’s what you do. And I will tell you sir… I am neither of those,’ Noem fumed at Moskowitz.
Through the recent turmoil, many Republicans remained highly complimentary of Noem’s tenure.
Rep. Clay Higgins, R-La., a former law enforcement officer himself, said during the hearing that he was ’embarrassed by the antics of my colleagues across the aisle.’
‘Madam Secretary, you inherited a disaster, and you turned it around. An astonishing 97% decrease in illegal crossings isn’t a coincidence; it’s leadership. Know that this committee has your back,’ Higgins said.
When Swalwell pressed her on the ad campaign and contract, Noem shot back that while the Alameda Democrat was ‘focusing on photo-ops and luxury jets, I’m focused on the fact that the Coast Guard might not get paid because your party is choosing not to fund them.’
Fox News’ Jacqui Heinrich contributed to this report.
