Donald Trump has dismissed his embattled Homeland Security Secretary, Kristi Noem, and announced that he will nominate Markwayne Mullin, a Republican senator from Oklahoma, to replace her.
Trump revealed the decision Thursday in a post on Truth Social, just two days after Noem faced intense questioning from both Republican and Democratic lawmakers during hearings on Capitol Hill.
In his statement, Trump said Noem had “served us well” and delivered “numerous and spectacular results,” but added that she would instead take on a new role as special envoy for the “Shield of the Americas,” a security initiative aimed at strengthening cooperation across the Western Hemisphere.
Responding in a post on X, Noem thanked Trump for the appointment. She said she looks forward to working with Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to combat drug cartels that have flooded the United States with narcotics.
Noem becomes the first Cabinet official to exit Trump’s administration during his second term. Her departure follows two days of tough questioning from lawmakers over her leadership of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
She also faced unusually sharp criticism from fellow Republicans. One major point of controversy was a $220 million advertising campaign featuring Noem that urged migrants in the country illegally to leave voluntarily.
During the hearings, Noem said Trump had been informed about the campaign beforehand. However, Trump contradicted that claim in an interview with Reuters on Thursday, saying he had not approved the ad campaign.
