AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura
President Donald Trump announced Thursday that Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem was “moving” to a new position and he was nominating Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) to take her place.
The move comes after growing backlash to Trump’s immigration crackdown, sparking nationwide protests and multiple court challenges, especially after two fatal shootings of U.S. citizens in Minneapolis: Renee Good on Jan. 7 by ICE agent Jonathan Ross, and Alex Pretti on Jan. 24 by Border Patrol agent Jesus Ochoa and Customs and Border Protection officer Raymundo Gutierrez.
DHS Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs Tricia McLaughlin announced last month she was resigning, and numerous congressional Democrats have called for Noem to step down or be impeached. Recent polling shows public opinion has significantly soured on the Trump administration’s immigration policies, even among Republicans.
Just this week, Noem was subjected to a bipartisan evisceration in a Senate and House Committee hearings, as members from both sides of the aisle lambasted her over the Good and Pretti shootings, ICE’s enforcement tactics, her alleged relationship with top adviser Corey Lewandowski, delays in disbursing FEMA aid to hurricane-ravaged areas of North Carolina, accusations about conflicts of interests for lucrative contracts her agency gave to McLaughlin’s husband and other allies, and even the admission from her memoir about shooting her dog, Cricket.
Mullin’s name was being floated as a potential replacement for Noem in the wake of her disastrous hearing performance, multiple media outlets reported, and the Oklahoma senator seemed to be increasing the frequency of his television appearances in recent days — a generally accepted part of the audition process for the former reality show star president.
Trump made the announcement official in a Truth Social post Thursday afternoon. He did not explicitly say he was firing Noem, and instead phrased it as she had “served us well” and “will be moving to be Special Envoy for The Shield of the Americas,” a new initiative he said he would announce on Saturday.
The president wrote:
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. 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.”
Serving 10 years in the United States House of Representatives, and 3 in the Senate, Markwayne has done a tremendous job representing the wonderful People of Oklahoma, where I won all 77 out of 77 Counties — in 2016, 2020, and 2024! A MAGA Warrior, and former undefeated professional MMA fighter, Markwayne truly gets along well with people, and knows the Wisdom and Courage required to Advance our America First Agenda. 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. Markwayne will make a spectacular Secretary of Homeland Security. Thank you for your attention to this matter!
PRESIDENT DONALD J. TRUMP
This is a breaking news story and has been updated.
The post BREAKING: Trump Announces Noem Is OUT at DHS — Names Sen. Markwayne Mullin as Her Replacement first appeared on Mediaite.