US President Donald Trump on Thursday fired Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and named Republican Senator Markwayne Mullin as her replacement. Noem has been reassigned as the ‘Special Envoy for The Shield of the Americas,’ a newly created post, which in no way comes closer to the high-profile role she held for 14 months in the second Trump administration.
The former Governor of South Dakota was one of the most high-profile picks by Trump in his second term, and at one point was even considered as a potential vice presidential candidate. Throughout her term at DHS, Noem was never far from controversy, and it ultimately led to her being fired.
Here is a look at the biggest controversies involving Noem
Putting down her own dog
In her 2024 memoir, No Going Back, Noem described an incident in which she shot and killed her 14-month-old dog, Cricket, which, according to her, was untrainable and dangerous.
Noem described Cricket as overly excited and killing a neighbor’s chickens, after which she decided to put it down. While Noem shared the story to show that she was willing to make difficult decisions, it backfired, and it is believed to have cost her the job of US Vice President.
Meeting Kim Jong Un
Not just the dog episode, Noem’s memoir made more news headlines for all the wrong reasons after she falsely claimed that she met the North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. According to Noem, she met Kim Jong Un during her time in Congress. She even claimed that the North Korean leader “underestimated” her.
However, after it was pointed out, Noem’s office admitted the story was an “error”. Her spokesperson stated that Kim Jong Un’s name was mistakenly included in a list of world leaders.
$300 million on private luxury jets
Noem was also criticized for spending over $300 million of DHS funds on three private luxury jets. Critics termed the spending as wholly inappropriate, blatantly immoral, and probably illegal. According to Axios, the $300 million spent on private jets was allocated to the DHS by Congress for border security.
Minneapolis shootings
As the head of the DHS, Noem was always under scrutiny and faced constant criticism over the Border Patrol and ICE operations across the US, against immigrants. Things came to a head earlier this year, following the fatal shooting of Renee Nicole Good on January 7 by an ICE agent in Minneapolis and the killing of Alex Pretti on January 24 by two federal agents during an enforcement operation.
In both cases, Noem rushed to defend the DHS and tried to paint the two victims as ‘domestic terrorists’, something which was later repeated by Trump and many others in his administration. Bystander videos from the two incidents, however, contradicted the official claims and led to even some Republicans calling for Noem’s removal.
$220 million ad campaign
The straw that broke the camel’s back came in the form of an ad campaign for which the DHS allegedly spent $220 million. The ad campaign, which was launched in February 2025, was aimed at warning undocumented immigrants to “self-deport” or face being “hunted down”, but critics accused Noem of using it for self-promotion as she was prominently featured in them.
It was also alleged that a large sum, $143 million, was paid to a company that was incorporated just a week before and had ties to some Republicans.
The controversy erupted further during her congressional hearing on March 3, when she claimed that Trump approved the $220 million spending. The US President, however, publicly denied this and said he “never knew anything about it”.
Key Takeaways
- High-profile political appointments come with increased scrutiny and accountability.
- Controversial decisions can have long-lasting effects on a politician’s career.
- Public perception is crucial; Missteps in communication can lead to significant backlash.
