Trump replaces DHS secretary Kristi Noem

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On January 6 2021, Markwayne Mullin, in a white shirt, tried to help Capitol Police officers keep rioters from breaching the barricaded door main door to the House Chamber in the US Capitol. Photograph: Andrew Harnik/AP theguardian.com

DHS insiders expressed relief at Noem’s exit and said they are hopeful her rumored lover Corey Lewandowski will follow her out. Maria Alejandra Cardona/REUTERS Maria Alejandra Cardona/REUTERS

Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem rides a horse while filming an ad at Mount Rushmore National Memorial in South Dakota, Oct. 2, 2025. (DHS photo by Tia Dufour) thedailybeast.com

It appears Trump’s patience ran out after Noem’s Senate hearing Tuesday, where she insisted under oath that the president had approved of her $220 million vanity ad campaign in advance. Photo Illustration by Thomas Levinson/The Daily Beast/Getty/DHS Photo Illustration by Thomas Levinson/The Daily Beast/Getty/DHS

Trump announced on Truth Social that Noem would be replaced by MAGA Senator Markwayne Mullin. Donald Trump/TruthSocial Donald Trump/TruthSocial

Campaign senior advisor Corey Lewandowski attends the election night watch party for Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump at the Palm Beach County Convention Center on November 05, 2024, in West Palm Beach, Florida. thedailybeast.com

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President Donald Trump has removed Kristi Noem as homeland security secretary and nominated Oklahoma senator Markwayne Mullin to replace her, triggering competing narratives inside the administration about competence, loyalty and the politics of enforcement.

The Daily Beast reports that Trumpworld insiders celebrated Noem’s exit, describing relief among Department of Homeland Security staff after months of internal turmoil. The outlet cites the Washington Examiner in describing a department consumed by scandal management, including a $220 million advertising campaign Noem said Trump had approved in advance, and the influence of Corey Lewandowski, whom former officials described as operating as a de facto chief of staff despite being an “unpaid volunteer.”

The official explanation is managerial; the underlying constraint is political. DHS is the nerve centre for immigration enforcement, and it is also a public-facing theatre where arrests, raids and border imagery are converted into signals to voters. That creates an internal market for attention: leaders who can dominate the news cycle, control leaks and survive hearings become more valuable than leaders who quietly improve processing times or deportation logistics.

Mullin’s nomination adds a second complication. The Guardian notes that Mullin, a fierce defender of Trump, previously told investigators that the fatal shooting of January 6 rioter Ashli Babbitt by Capitol Police Lt. Michael Byrd was justified, saying he heard a warning and later hugged the officer, telling him he “did what you had to do.” Trump, by contrast, has repeatedly described Babbitt’s death as “murder,” and his Justice Department settled a wrongful death case brought by her family for nearly $5 million.

That record sets up a loyalty test in reverse: a nominee chosen for his alignment with Trump may face backlash from the president’s most ardent supporters for having defended the officer whose actions Trump has used as a symbol of persecution. The same movement that demands maximal enforcement at the border has also demanded maximal vindication for January 6 defendants.

Noem has been reassigned as “Special Envoy for the Shield of the Americas,” according to the Daily Beast. Mullin now inherits a department where political symbolism, internal patronage and legal risk are being managed alongside border operations.

One of the first questions for the next DHS secretary is whether Corey Lewandowski leaves with Noem.