Noem is OUT — and Trump has named her replacement

President Donald Trump announced Thursday that Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.) would replace Kristi Noem as the homeland security secretary beginning March 31.

'Markwayne will make a spectacular Secretary of Homeland Security.'

Trump made the announcement shortly after several news reports claimed he was considering firing Noem and weighing a replacement.

Rumors first surfaced in early December that Trump was unsatisfied with Noem and considering her removal. However, the White House was quick to dismiss the reports as “total Fake News,” stating that the secretary was “doing a great job implementing the president’s agenda and making America safe again.”

Those claims resurfaced this week, after NBC News reported on Thursday that Trump “has grown frustrated” with Noem and was “unhappy” with her testimony before House and Senate committees, citing anonymous sources.

The news outlet stated that Noem told senators that Trump had signed off on a $220 million Department of Homeland Security ad campaign encouraging illegal aliens to self-deport.

“The president tasked me with getting the message out to the country and to other countries where we were seeing the invasion come from, with putting commercials out that told them that if they were in this country illegally, that they needed to leave or we would detain them and remove them and they’d not get the chance to come back to America the right way,” Noem told lawmakers during Tuesday’s hearing.

When asked to clarify whether Trump had asked her to run the advertisements, Noem replied, “We had that conversation, yes.”

RELATED: Republican senator melts down over Trump administration's deportations

Markwayne Mullin. Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

However, a White House official rejected that claim.

“POTUS did not sign off on a $220 million dollar ad campaign. Absolutely not,” a White House official previously stated.

Trump announced that Mullin would take over for Noem in a post on social media on Thursday afternoon.

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Kristi Noem. Photo by Jim WATSON / AFP via Getty Images

“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 current Secretary, Kristi Noem, who has served us well, and has had numerous and spectacular results (especially on the Border!), will be moving to be Special Envoy for The Shield of the Americas, our new Security Initiative in the Western Hemisphere we are announcing on Saturday in Doral, Florida. I thank Kristi for her service at ‘Homeland.’”

He commended Mullin for “a tremendous job representing the wonderful People of Oklahoma,” describing the senator as a “MAGA Warrior.”

“Markwayne truly gets along well with people, and knows the Wisdom and Courage required to Advance our America First Agenda,” Trump continued. “As the only Native American in the Senate, Markwayne is a fantastic advocate for our incredible Tribal Communities. Markwayne will work tirelessly to Keep our Border Secure, Stop Migrant Crime, Murderers, and other Criminals from illegally entering our Country, End the Scourge of Illegal Drugs and, MAKE AMERICA SAFE AGAIN. Markwayne will make a spectacular Secretary of Homeland Security. Thank you for your attention to this matter!”

Neither the DHS nor the White House immediately responded to a request for comment.

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