Trump defends Kristi Noem, dismisses firing speculation of her firing

President Donald Trump has completely rejected the idea of ​​firing Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem, despite mounting criticism over the administration’s immigration enforcement tactics.

Speaking at the National Prayer Breakfast on Thursday, Trump said he was asked about firing Noem during an interview with “NBC Nightly News” host Tom Llamas. The President rejected the idea completely.

“Why would I do this?” Trump said. “We have the strongest border in the history of our country. We have the best crime numbers going back to 1900.”

aired on NBC a transcript We take a look at the moment before the interview when Trump was asked if he still believed in Noem.

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“Look, look, he was in charge of the border. The border is closed. So everyone gives me an A+ at the border. The border was a disaster. People were pouring into our country,” Trump said, according to the NBC transcript. he said.

When Llamas pressed the president on enforcement, Trump doubled down on his confidence in his administration’s crackdown on illegal immigration.

“They’re not even trying to show up right now… We’re doing very well – you just – you just asked me a – Kristi. We have the best crime numbers we’ve had in 125 years. I think he’s doing a very good job. Again, it’s public relations. He’s not getting paid for what he’s doing,” Trump was quoted as saying in the transcript.

President Trump speaks during the National Prayer Breakfast at the Washington Hilton in Washington, DC on February 5, 2026. (Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images)

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In Thursday’s speech, Trump defended several members of his administration while also attacking former presidents Joe Biden and Barack Obama. He called Biden “the worst president in the world” and said Obama was “the person who divided our country terribly.”

The president joked that he wouldn’t take it personally when his most recent predecessor, Biden, called him the “worst president in the world” because he “had no idea he was president.”

“He had no idea he was president, so he doesn’t take it personally. I don’t want him to take it personally. Fortunately, he has no idea what I said,” Trump said.

He directed his criticism at Obama, saying the 44th president was “very bad.”

“He was a divider, and believe it or not — we’re bringing the country together,” Trump told the crowd, adding that his administration’s “tremendous success” had united Americans.

President Donald Trump mocked former Presidents Joe Biden and Barack Obama with new plaques on the “Presidential Walk of Fame.” (Stefani Reynolds/Bloomberg via Getty Images; Jim Lo Scalzo/EPA/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

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Never shy about insulting his opponents, Trump has repeatedly made clear his disdain for Obama and Biden, even going so far as to put it in writing on the White House’s new “Presidential Walk of Fame.”

The Walk of Fame, which opened in September 2025, includes plaques with photos of presidents and facts about America’s past leaders. For Biden, instead of using the 46th president’s photo, the Trump administration used an image of an autopen, a device used to sign major orders, including pardons, during his administration.

Both Biden and Obama’s “Walk of Fame” plaques include digs about their presidencies. Biden’s plaques include nicknames that Trump gave him, such as “Sleepy Joe Biden” and “Crooked”. Meanwhile, Obama’s plaques refer to him as “one of the most divisive political figures in American history.”