Trump boots Kristi Noem, picks Markwayne Mullin as new DHS secretary

President Trump said Thursday he is installing Sen. Markwayne Mullin as the new head of Homeland Security and sidelining Secretary Kristi Noem, marking the first ouster from his second-term Cabinet.

Mr. Trump said on social media that Ms. Noem will be moved to a new “special envoy” post he’s creating for a Western Hemisphere security initiative.

The move came after Ms. Noem’s rocky appearances this week on Capitol Hill, where she appeared to shift blame for a controversial TV ad contract onto Mr. Trump, and struggled to explain other snafus such as purchase of a luxury jet.

“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,” Mr. Trump said.

He said Ms. Noem “has served us well” and had achieved “spectacular results” on the border.

Her ouster comes even as DHS is in the midst of a shutdown, with Congress having failed to pass a spending bill to fund the department.

Many of its operations, including immigration enforcement, are continuing, though some employees are working without pay.

Mr. Mullin was in the House for a decade before claiming a Senate seat from Oklahoma in 2023.

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He’s been a fierce advocate for Mr. Trump.

Ms. Noem, a former House member and then governor of South Dakota, oversaw some of Mr. Trump’s biggest accomplishments, such as the lowest levels of illegal immigration ever detected at the border.

But she was also in charge when DHS personnel shot and killed two American citizens in separate incidents in Minneapolis in January.

Mr. Trump had kept her on after that, but Ms. Noem’s self-promotion as secretary has long seemed to be on a collision course with the president and his own need to be the star of the show.

The final straw seems to have been Ms. Noem’s testimony to Congress this week that Mr. Trump had given her the OK to pursue a $220 million ad campaign calling on illegal immigrants to self-deport — and featuring herself in the ads.

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She repeatedly said Mr. Trump knew — and approved — of the idea.

“We had that conversation, yes, before I was put in this position,” she said.

Sen. John Kennedy, Louisiana Republican, was incredulous.

“To me, it puts the president in a terribly awkward spot,” he said. “I’m not saying you’re not telling the truth, it’s just hard for me to believe.”

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Lawmakers said a portion of the ad contract went to a firm run by the husband of Tricia McLaughlin, Ms. Noem’s press secretary at the time.

Ms. Noem was the subject of an impeachment resolution backed by nearly 190 House Democrats. It accused her of obstruction of Congress, violating the public trust and self-dealing — that latter charge based on the ad campaign.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries hailed Ms. Noem’s ouster on social media.

“Pam Bondi is next,” he said, referring to the attorney general. “Keep the pressure on these extremists.”

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• Stephen Dinan can be reached at sdinan@washingtontimes.com.