President Trump announced Thursday that Kristi Noem will no longer serve as the nation’s Department of Homeland Security secretary and that Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) will replace her. She will become the Special Envoy for The Shield of the Americas, a new position that will be announced on Saturday.
Thursday afternoon, she responded with a social media post to what many described as a “firing.” Although one might imagine that she’s not thrilled to be changing jobs, she nevertheless expressed her gratitude for serving in the role and a positive attitude toward her new one:
Thank you @POTUS Trump for appointing me as the Special Envoy for the Shield of the Americas. @SecRubio and @SecWar are incredible leaders and I look forward to working with them closely to dismantle cartels that have poured drugs into our nation and killed our children and…
— Secretary Kristi Noem (@Sec_Noem) March 5, 2026
Noem’s tweet continues:
Thank you @POTUS Trump for appointing me as the Special Envoy for the Shield of the Americas. @SecRubio and @SecWar are incredible leaders and I look forward to working with them closely to dismantle cartels that have poured drugs into our nation and killed our children and grandchildren.
As we reported, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth hosted the inaugural Americas Counter Cartel Conference at U.S. Southern Command Headquarters Thursday and stressed the need for a strategic partnership with nations in the Western Hemisphere to combat the scourge of drug cartels and traffickers.
Breaking: Noem Out As Trump Names New Secretary of Homeland Security
She will be part of that plan:
The Western Hemisphere is absolutely critical for U.S. security. In this new role, I will be able to build on the partnerships and national security expertise, I forged over the last 13 months as Secretary of Homeland Security.
She also touted DHS’s successes during her tenure, and despite often facing heavy criticism, she did get some laudable results:
We have made historic accomplishments at the Department of Homeland Security to make America safe again: we delivered the MOST secure border in American history, 3 million illegal aliens have left the U.S., we have located 145,000 children, FEMA delivered disaster relief at a 100% faster rate, we ushered in the golden age of travel, saved the American taxpayer $13 billion and revitalized the U.S. Coast Guard.
Considering she will have a new job, “fired” might be too strong a word. “Transferred” might be more apt. It’s unclear how powerful she will be in this post, but it’s likely she will be in the spotlight far less frequently, since the DHS secretary is one of the most high-profile Cabinet positions.
SEE: DHS Shakeup: Mullin’s Unfiltered Response to Trump Call
Many pundits are not surprised to see her go because Trump had earlier taken away her operational authority in Minneapolis during the ICE raids and gave Border Czar Tom Homan control over the situation. This followed several high-profile incidents, including the shooting deaths of two protesters.
Trump was also reportedly “furious” with her following Judiciary Committee hearings on March 3. He reportedly especially took issue with her dustup with Sen. John Kennedy (R-LA) over an expensive advertising contract that went to members of her inner circle.
Noem could have lashed out, but for now, it appears, she’s taking the high road. We’ll just have to wait and see how much influence she’ll have in her new position.
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