Trump FIRES Kristi Noem in first Cabinet ouster after brutal Capitol Hill drubbing

President Donald Trump fired Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and announced that she would be replaced by Senator Markwayne Mullin; this was the first Cabinet-level termination of his second term.

The final straw came when Noem told Senator John Kennedy under oath that Trump had given her approval for a $220 million taxpayer-funded campaign aimed at boosting her national profile.

He stated that the multimillion-dollar advertising campaign was signed by the President after being sworn into office by Congress this week. However, reports indicate that his claim took Trump by surprise.

“I didn’t know anything about it,” he told Reuters in an interview on Thursday.

Noem is also under intense scrutiny for her alleged affair with top adviser Corey Lewandowski. Both Noem and Lewandowski denied the relationship.

Later Thursday, Trump announced the nomination of Oklahoma Senator Markwayne Mullin to be the next DHS Secretary. Mullin’s office did not immediately respond to the Daily Mail’s request for comment.

“I am pleased to announce that the Honorable U.S. Senator Markwayne Mullin of the Great State of Oklahoma will be the U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS) effective March 31, 2026,” Trump said in his post on Truth Social.

‘Current Secretary Kristi Noem, who has served us well and achieved so many great results (especially on the Border!), will step up to become Special Envoy for the Inter-American Shield, our new Security Initiative in the Western Hemisphere, which we will announce on Saturday in Doral, Florida. I thank Kristi for her service on “Homeland.”’

Trump announces nomination of Senator Markwayne Mullin as next DHS Secretary

The final straw came this week when Noem told Senator John Kennedy under oath that she had been given Trump’s blessing for a $220 million taxpayer-funded campaign meant to boost her national profile.

The President praised Mullin for his Native American roots and claimed the Senator ‘would make a terrific Secretary of Homeland Security.’

Sources speaking to the Daily Mail revealed that DHS and ICE officials celebrated the news of Noem’s departure.

A DHS source told Daily Mail staff that the news was welcomed at the department’s headquarters: ‘Everyone is happy, smiling a lot.’

‘His morale had taken a huge blow. ‘There’s a feeling among many people here that the department can finally reset and refocus on operations rather than internal turmoil.’

There is also the expectation that Corey Lewandowski will follow him to the door. ‘He’ll go because he knows Mullin will throw him.’ It is unclear whether the adviser will leave DHS along with the secretary.

Another DHS insider said Trump had been preparing to fire him for days, but Tuesday’s performance gave him “coverage” to do so immediately.

Meanwhile, an ICE official at the department’s headquarters told the Daily Mail: ‘Crowds are celebrating. Lots of phone calls. Texts. People stop by to celebrate.’

A Senate panel asked Noem questions about the ad campaign and the process by which the money was allocated.

Hours before Trump’s announcement, Mullin told reporters that he had not spoken to the president this week and would not weigh in on “hypotheses” about replacing Noem.

Noem told lawmakers Tuesday that there was a “competitive process” to award the campaign bid and that “everything was done correctly, everything was done legally.”

One of the ads cut from the $220 million project showed Noem wearing a cowboy hat and riding a horse in front of Mount Rushmore.

Noem’s defenders were surprised by the response she received from members of Congress during her Senate appearance this week.

They were expecting a confrontation with Senator Thom Tillis, who criticized Trump after announcing he would not run for re-election.

They did not expect the confrontation with Republican Sen. John Kennedy, who publicly rebuked Noem.

‘He kicked her in the teeth,’ the insider said. ‘This came out of nowhere.’

People familiar with the matter had at least heard that Corey Lewandowski would leave the team by the end of this week, but that could be moot if both leave the team within a few weeks.

On paper, Lewandowski is a special government employee, so it’s easy to dismiss him based on his timeline.

Trump answered questions about firing Noem in February before firing her in March

Noem has been labeled ‘ICE Barbie’ for numerous photo shoots that feature Noem in full makeup and posing with guns and bulletproof vests

But there would be no Kristi Noem without Corey; Corey lobbied Trump on his own to take this position, and Corey would be without his biggest advocate.

The White House was tired of weekly stories of scandal and infighting, just as Susie Wiles had long been tired of her theatrics.

“It’s like who doesn’t fight who,” a familiar source told the Daily Mail

Trump chose Sen. Markwayne Mullin of Oklahoma in part to avoid the Senate confirmation process, a source told the Daily Mail.

He probably would have lifted Homan, but there were real doubts that Homan could get the 60 votes needed to win confirmation.

Asked Thursday if he would consider leading DHS, Mullin dodged the question.

He said, ‘Listen, I haven’t talked to the President all week, so I couldn’t even help you with this response.’

When asked if he was interested in the job, Mullin again dismissed the inquiry.

“Actually, I’m not dealing with assumptions at all,” he replied.

Hours after these statements, Trump announced that Mullin would replace Noem.

Mullin later told reporters that he learned of his appointment just before the President issued his statement.

The ad campaign and alleged affair are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to Noem’s controversies.

The DHS Secretary came under criticism earlier this year after his agents shot and killed two Americans, Renee Good and Alex Pretti, during immigration operations in Minnesota.

She has also been criticized as the ‘ICE Barbie’ for numerous photo shoots that feature Noem in full makeup and posing with guns and bulletproof vests.

Noem’s dismissal marks Trump’s first Cabinet-level dismissal in his second term.

Sources inside DHS and ICE celebrated Noem’s dismissal on Thursday

The president had previously removed Michael Waltz as national security adviser to the UN ambassador, but this reappointment was not at the Cabinet level.

DHS did not immediately respond to the Daily Mail’s request for comment.

Trump’s announcement that Mullin would replace Noem drew immediate support from lawmakers.

‘I’m not sure how many of our fellow Democrats will vote to support our colleague.’ [Senator Mullin] “I will serve as the next DHS Secretary in X, but I am NO,” Democratic Senator John Fetterman posted.

Republican Senator Lindsey Graham from South Carolina reacted: ‘President Trump could not have chosen a better candidate to be Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security than Senator Markwayne Mullin.’

‘He is one of the most knowledgeable people I know about how to protect America. ‘Markwayne is an outstanding choice and I hope he gets the overwhelming bipartisan vote he deserves.’