Noem’s tenure was marked by killings of US citizens by federal agents, a rumored affair and $220m spent on ads
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Donald Trump on Thursday announced he was replacing Kristi Noem as homeland security secretary, after the killing of two US citizens by immigration agents and mounting reports of her questionable personal conduct attracted bipartisan criticism.
It was the first major personnel shakeup of Trump’s second term, and in a post on Truth Social, the president said Markwayne Mullin, an Oklahoma senator, would take over from Noem starting on 31 March. The secretary, who he said “has served us well, and has had numerous and spectacular results (especially on the Border!)“ would become special envoy for “the Shield of the Americas”, a security initiative Trump said he planned to launch over the weekend.
A Republican former congresswoman and governor of South Dakota, Noem was considered a potential running mate for Trump as he sought re-election in 2024, but ultimately passed over after she admitted in a memoir to killing a dog she owned. The president instead nominated her to lead the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which oversees Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the border patrol and other agencies that took to the streets of major US cities during Trump’s second term to carry out his mass deportation agenda.
