Donald Trump fired Kristi Noem as the US Secretary of Homeland Security on March 5, sparking fresh controversy surrounding her tenure. Trump announced that Republican senator Markwayne Mullin would replace Noem at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
Trump declared on Truth Social that Mullin would take over as Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security on March 31.
He further stated that Noem would instead serve in a newly created role of "Special Envoy for the Shield of the Americas," which is connected to a new regional security program that his administration intends to present in Florida this weekend.
Read more: Who is Markwayne Mullin? 5 things about Kristi Noem's replacement
Possible reasons Kristi Noem was fired
Growing scandals during Noem's term undermined support both inside and beyond the Administration. DHS has been under severe criticism for the past several months after two U.S. citizens were shot and killed by federal agents during immigration enforcement operations in Minneapolis earlier this year. This incident sparked protests and requests for an investigation into the agency's methods.
One of the immediate triggers for Noem's firing was a controversial appearance before Congress, where senators questioned her handling of immigration enforcement and DHS operations.
{{/usCountry}}One of the immediate triggers for Noem's firing was a controversial appearance before Congress, where senators questioned her handling of immigration enforcement and DHS operations.
{{/usCountry}}Noem's first Senate hearing since the murders of 37-year-olds Renee Good and Alex Pretti in Minneapolis took place on Wednesday. Lawmakers from both parties focused on her leadership of the agency during the two shootings and the reported arrests of American citizens.
According to reports from Punchbowl News, Trump allegedly grew frustrated with the fallout from those hearings, which exposed disagreements between the secretary and the White House.
Trump was reportedly enraged by Noem's argument with Senator John Kennedy (R-LA), who asked her whether the president had personally approved a $220 million advertising campaign featuring the DHS secretary.
During testimony, Noem reportedly claimed the campaign had been approved by Trump, but the president later denied prior knowledge of the initiative. The conflicting accounts created tension between the two and fueled criticism on Capitol Hill.
"I never knew anything about it," Trump said to Reuters.
According to The New York Post, Trump is incensed because Noem testified that he approved of the advertisements, which paved the way for his subsequent decision to fire Noem.
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Noem's tenure as DHS Secretary was marred by controversies
Beyond the ad dispute, Noem’s leadership at DHS had already been under pressure due to several high-profile incidents.
Soon after Alex Pretti's death, a protester who federal immigration agents shot in Minnesota, a DHS statement on X justified an agent “[f]earing for his life” shot "defensive shots" in an attempt to "disarm" Pretti, stating that it "looks like a situation where an individual wanted to do maximum damage and massacre law enforcement."
Noem and DHS received significant backlash after the statement. Noem also claimed incorrectly that Pretti was "brandishing" his weapon. Pretti was disarmed before being shot, according to bystander footage, and he never sought his gun.
Noem was also grilled for the use of funds in DHS on Wednesday for a multi-million-dollar jet fleet. They were utilized for "long-range command and control aircraft," according to Noem, who also claimed that buying the aircraft would "save the taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars."
Noem bought two expensive Gulfstream G700 aircraft. A third aircraft, a Boeing 737, was being leased with the intention of purchasing it for roughly $70 million.
The One Big Beautiful Bill's DHS infusion provides the funding for the luxury jets.