President Trump has fired DHS Secretary Kristi Noem after reported tensions between Noem and border czar Tom Homan, excessive spending, and rumors of immorality. President Trump made the announcement over Truth Social. President Trump has appointed Oklahoma Senator Markwayne Mullin to replace Noem effective March 31, 2026. Noem has been reassigned as “Special Envoy for The Shield of the Americas.” Noem thanked President Trump for the assignment. “I do want to thank the president for creating this and for giving me the honor and the opportunity to serve as a special envoy to this region, to the Western Hemisphere,” she said during a summit.

While the president praised Noem’s work at DHS, other reports paint a more grim picture of her handling of the department. “President Donald Trump’s decision to fire her, which took way too long, liberates many Republicans to acknowledge what many in the media, including me, along with Democrats and outside critics, have been saying all along: Noem was a slow-motion train wreck,” wrote Howard Kurtz for Fox News. He blamed Noem for ICE’s “hyper-aggressive approach” in Minneapolis that had turned public opinion against Trump’s immigration enforcement.

Another point of contention during Noem’s tenure was a hotly contested $220 million advertising contract that Noem claimed, under oath, that the president had approved. The ad focused on Noem’s accomplishments and seemed like a mega ego fluffing at taxpayers’ expenses. During questioning by lawmakers, Senator John Kennedy informed Noem that the president denied ever approving the contract. Speaking to NBC News about the contract, the President said, “I wasn’t thrilled with it. I spent less money than that to become president. I didn’t know about it.”

There were also troubling rumors that Noem, a married woman, was having an affair with her one of her senior advisers, Corey Lewandowski, who is also married. There have been reports that the two have had romantic ties dating back to Noem’s days as governor of South Dakota. Both have denied the rumors, with Noem brushing off questions about the affair during a House Judiciary Committee hearing on Wednesday, March 4. However, there are unconfirmed reports that Lewandowski has been dismissed from his position at DHS as well. Noem’s ouster is the first major firing during Trump’s second term, which was plagued by turnover during his first term. “Kristi Noem made the job about her, her hair, her makeup, her outfits, her vanity. It was a giant distraction from the mission,” wrote Tomi Lahren on X. “She did the same sh*t as governor of South Dakota. Once the cameras turned on she forgot about the people and went on a personal PR mission. Not cute. Good riddance and hide your dogs.”