Trump Announces He Is Replacing Noem With Oklahoma Senator Markwayne Mullin of Oklahoma
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem testifies during a House Committee on the Judiciary oversight hearing of the Department of Homeland Security on Capitol Hill, Wednesday, March 4, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mariam Zuhaib)
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WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump said Thursday that he is replacing Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem with Republican Sen. Markwayne Mullin of Oklahoma.
President Trump dismissed Noem after a week in which she faced intense questioning from Republican lawmakers during congressional hearings on several issues, including her knowledge of a government advertising contract.
The president announced the move on social media and said Noem will instead serve in a newly created position as special envoy for the Shield of the Americas, a security initiative focused on the Western Hemisphere.
Trump has a close relationship with Mullin, a fellow Republican senator from Oklahoma, and the two are known to speak regularly.
Noem is the first cabinet member to leave her position during Trump’s second term. As homeland security secretary, she had been closely involved in implementing the administration’s mass deportation policies, a key issue during Trump’s campaign and one strongly shaped by White House adviser Stephen Miller.
Her time leading the Department of Homeland Security was also marked by several controversies. For weeks, speculation had grown among Trump’s allies about whether she would remain in the role.
During a Senate hearing Wednesday, Noem testified under oath that President Trump had approved a border-security advertising campaign that featured her. However, Trump later disputed that claim.
“I never knew anything about it,” Trump told Reuters on Thursday. A White House spokeswoman declined further comment and referred reporters to Trump’s remarks.
Lawmakers have been examining the $220 million advertising campaign, which prominently featured Noem, including footage filmed on horseback near Mount Rushmore in her home state of South Dakota.
The firm that handled the campaign was connected to the husband of Noem’s former spokeswoman, which has raised questions from members of Congress.
During a separate hearing Tuesday, Noem said the contracts were awarded through a competitive process and that no political appointees were involved. At Wednesday’s hearing, she said the contract had been handled “correctly” and “legally.”
Sen. John Kennedy, a Republican from Louisiana who questioned Noem about the ad contracts, said Thursday that President Trump called him regarding her testimony.
“Put it this way,” Kennedy told reporters. “His recollection and her recollection are different.”
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