President Donald Trump said Thursday on social media he was firing Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and would name Oklahoma Sen. Markwayne Mullin to replace her.
Trump thanked Noem for her service, saying in his Truth Social post she “has had numerous and spectacular results (especially on the Border!)” and that she “will be moving to be Special Envoy for The Shield of the Americas, our new Security Initiative in the Western Hemisphere.”
He said Mullin would take over the position March 31.
Trump loves watching Mullin on TV, aides said, which played a role in the president’s decision to tap him for the position. Trump has called Mullin following combative interviews to praise him and White House staffers have often dispatched the senator to do cable news hits around big moments for the administration.
Noem thanked the president in a social media post shortly after the announcement.
“The western hemisphere is absolutely critical for U.S. security,” she said, referring to her new position. “In this new role, I will be able to build on the partnerships and national security expertise, I forged over the last 13 months as Secretary of Homeland Security.”
Noem, who was tapped by Trump to helm DHS at the start of his administration, has faced growing scrutiny over her conduct in the position, including her alleged romantic relationship with her chief adviser, distribution of the windfall of cash the department has received — particularly for an expensive ad campaign that showcased her prominently — and her conflicting accounts over fatal incidents involving federal immigration agents.
Current and former Homeland Security officials had privately questioned how much longer the secretary would remain in the post following what they perceived as a series of missteps. Those include blindsiding the White House with a decision to pause TSA precheck during the current DHS funding lapse — a decision that was reversed within hours — and her responses during two congressional hearings this week.
Trump himself was angry with how the hearings went — particularly her assertion, which he denies, that the president was aware of her DHS ad campaign.
Since the fatal shootings of US citizens Renee Good and Alex Pretti in Minneapolis, and Noem's controversial responses, Trump has been asking allies about what they think of her. Those close to him believed at the time that it was largely Trump being Trump — he often asks about his team and how they are doing, particularly amid backlash.
CNN has previously reported that some top White House officials have long been frustrated with Corey Lewandowski, Noem’s top aide and the subject of some pointed questioning during this week’s congressional hearings.
Trump dispatched White House border czar Tom Homan to Minneapolis in January in the wake of the Good and Pretti shootings to resolve the issues on the ground there, an apparent rebuke of Noem’s handling of the situation. Homan and Noem have a long simmering feud and rarely speak, according to multiple current and former officials. White House officials maintained that the two were in lockstep with each other.
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