It’s been obvious for months that Donald Trump’s White House Cabinet is filled with highly controversial and unqualified loyalists who have no business leading federal departments and agencies. But 14 months into the president’s tenure, he refused to fire any of them.
That is, until now. MS NOW reported:
Kristi Noem, the face of some of the Trump administration’s most high-profile immigration controversies over the past year, was ousted Thursday as secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, a day after she faced intense grilling from lawmakers in Congress.
President Donald Trump said he would nominate Oklahoma Sen. Markwayne Mullin to replace her at the end of the month.
In an announcement posted to his social media platform, the president said Noem “has served us well.” There’s ample evidence to the contrary.
Indeed, as 2026 got underway, the South Dakota Republican was already on weak political ground, generally seen as a hapless secretary, known more for dishonesty, inefficiencies, alleged corruption and costume changes than governing successes.
But after the DHS-imposed crisis on Minnesota, Noem’s tenure went from cringeworthy to tragic. Indeed, in the wake of federal immigration agents fatally shooting Alex Pretti, followed by Noem’s indefensible lies about the incident, the secretary’s political standing went into free fall.
Polling last month found that nearly 60% of the public thought Noem should be removed from her job; a bipartisan group of lawmakers in both chambers called for her ouster; and 187 House Democrats signed on to an impeachment resolution against her.
Noem’s troubles continued to worsen soon after, as evidenced by a deeply unflattering report in The Wall Street Journal on the “constant chaos” that exists in the department she struggled to lead.
Amid multiple and overlapping scandals, Rachel Maddow asked via Bluesky, “How is it possible that Kristi Noem still has this job?” Evidently, some White House officials asked the same question.
In keeping with Trump’s habit of rewarding ousted loyalists with diplomatic posts, the president offered Noem a consolation prize of sorts, announcing that she’ll soon serve as “Special Envoy for The Shield of the Americas, our new Security Initiative in the Western Hemisphere.” I have no idea what that means, though Trump apparently intends to elaborate over the weekend.
In the meantime, there are a couple of angles to keep in mind going forward. The first is that congressional Democrats demanded Noem’s ouster as part of the negotiations over funding for DHS, and the latest developments might actually help move policymakers closer to a deal to end the ongoing shutdown.
The second, however, is that for Noem’s many critics, her departure is the first step, not the last.
At a congressional hearing on Tuesday, for example, Democratic Rep. Becca Balint of Vermont told Noem, “You’re the secretary of DHS — for now — and you think you’re immune from accountability. But I promise you this: One day, he [Trump] is not going to be president anymore. He is not going to be in charge. And when that day comes, we will still be here, and we will still be seeking accountability. And in hearings like this, we are going to continue to prove your guilt.”
A day later, responding to the president’s announcement, Democratic Sen. Ron Wyden of Oregon wrote online, in reference to Noem: “Turns out lawlessness is not a winning strategy. See you at Nuremberg 2.0.”
A variety of other Democratic lawmakers responded to the news with similar statements, emphasizing the need for “accountability.”
The DHS secretary will soon lose her job, but she won’t soon be forgotten.
