President Donald Trump dismissed Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem and announced that Sen. Markwayne Mullin of Oklahoma will take over, the president said Thursday.
President Trump announced the change in a post on Truth Social, saying Mullin would assume the position at the end of the month.
“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,” Trump wrote.
The president said Noem would move to a different position within the administration. She will serve as “Envoy for The Shield of the Americas,” a newly created role connected to a regional security initiative.
President Trump wrote that Noem “has served us well” and said the new post will involve leading “our new Security Initiative in the Western Hemisphere.”
Sources told NBC that the president informed Noem of the decision on Thursday.
An administration official told NBC News that the president acted because of “a culmination of her many unfortunate leadership failures including the fallout in Minnesota, the ad campaign, the allegations of infidelity, the mismanagement of her staff, and her constant feuding with the heads of other agencies, including CBP [US Customs and Border Protection] and ICE [US Immigration and Customs Enforcement].”
“Kristi’s drama sadly overshadowed and distracted from the Administration’s extremely popular immigration agenda, which will continue full force,” the official added.
Noem’s dismissal came amid escalating protests in Minneapolis and criticism surrounding a controversial advertising campaign tied to immigration policy. The administration official also cited internal tensions with other federal agencies as a factor in the president’s decision.
Media rumors about marital infidelity also plagued Noem’s tenure at DHS.
The New York Post noted that Noem didn’t deny having an extra-marital affair with top presidential aide Corey Lewandowski speaking under oath during her testimony before Congress Wednesday. Noem dismissed the question as “garbage.” NBC reported that Lewandowski also plans to leave the administration.
Mullin, a Republican senator from Oklahoma, will assume the role of homeland security secretary once the transition takes effect on March 31, according to Trump’s announcement.
