Kristi Noem has officially been fired as Donald Trump’s homeland security secretary, after a disastrous string of ‘unfortunate leadership failures’.
Donald Trump confirmed the shake-up on Thursday March 5, posting on social media that Oklahoma senator Markwayne Mulli will assume the role in three weeks.
Despite the high-profile dismissal, Trump did not appear to publicly criticize Noem. Instead, he indicated she will remain in his administration as special envoy for the Shield of the Americas.
He also credited her with delivering ‘numerous and spectacular results’ in the position she is now leaving.
Behind the scenes, however, the White House offered a far less generous explanation for the decision, with one official characterizing the move as performance-driven.
Speaking to NBC News, the official said the decision boiled down to ‘a culmination of her many unfortunate leadership failures.’
Noem becomes the first cabinet secretary to be removed during Trump’s second term. Her exit follows weeks of controversy, including backlash after she labeled the actions of Renee Good in Minnesota an ‘act of domestic terrorism’ after Good was shot dead by ICE agents.
Two weeks later, another fatal incident in the same city drew attention when Alex Pretti, an ICU nurse, was shot dead by Border Patrol agents.
More recently, Noem faced intense scrutiny during last week’s congressional hearings, including criticism from Republicans over a $220m ad campaign in which she appeared that urged people in the US illegally to leave voluntarily.
Noem said Trump knew about the campaign beforehand, but Trump later suggested in an interview that he had not been aware of it.
Separately, ‘allegations of infidelity’ have surfaced, a development that observers say could prove unpopular with parts of the MAGA base.
Those claims were raised during hearings this week when Noem was asked directly whether she had had ‘sexual relations with Corey Lewandowsk’ – Mr Trump’s former campaign manager.
Noem rejected the accusation, calling it ‘tabloid garbage’ and denying the allegation.
According to the White House official, it was the combined effect of negative headlines and repeated missteps that ultimately led to her dismissal. They added: “Kristi’s drama sadly overshadowed and distracted from the Administration’s extremely popular immigration agenda, which will continue full force.”
In the wake of the announcement, several critics said the decision was overdue, including House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries.
After previously describing her as ‘deeply unqualified, unhinged, out-of-control, pathological liar who repeatedly abused her power”, he added: ”She was a complete and total disaster.”
“ We made clear weeks ago that Kristi Noem must be fired or she would face impeachment. Her well-deserved termination is long overdue, consistent with what we have demanded.”