WASHINGTON — Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem’s tenure came to an abrupt end Thursday when President Donald Trump announced her dismissal, following intense congressional scrutiny over a controversial $220 million advertising campaign that prominently showcased the outgoing secretary.
The dismissal followed two days of heated congressional hearings where Noem faced sharp questioning from Republican lawmakers about the expensive ad campaign, which included a video of her riding horseback through a forest near Mount Rushmore while delivering tough border security messages.
According to an administration official speaking anonymously, the costly advertising effort and several other leadership missteps, including problems with an immigration operation in Minnesota and staff management issues, contributed to Trump’s decision to remove her from the position.
Throughout her 13-month service, Noem consistently positioned herself as the visible representative of the department’s immigration enforcement efforts. Her social media presence featured numerous videos showing her participating in migrant arrest operations, photographs of her at an El Salvadoran prison, and airport announcements where she blamed Democrats for government shutdowns.
The Mount Rushmore advertisement combined patriotic imagery including rocket launches and wheat fields with footage of Trump’s swearing-in ceremony and his response to an assassination attempt. In the video, Noem delivers a stern warning while dressed in western attire.
“Anyone who searches for freedom can always find a home here, but that freedom’s a precious thing. And we defend it vigorously. You cross the border illegally, we’ll find you,” Noem states in the promotional material.
“But if you come here the right way, your American dream can be as big as these open skies. From President Trump and me, Welcome home,” she continues.
During this week’s congressional questioning, Republican Senator John Kennedy of Louisiana challenged the appropriateness of the massive spending while the administration fought against government waste. Kennedy directly asked about presidential approval for the campaign.
“The president approved ahead of time you spending $220 million running TV ads across the country in which you are featured prominently?” Kennedy inquired.
“Yes, sir,” Noem responded. “We went through the legal processes. Did it correctly.”
Lawmakers also pressed Noem about contract awards related to the campaign. The Associated Press previously reported that the Department of Homeland Security bypassed standard competitive bidding procedures, citing urgent border conditions, and awarded initial funding to two firms with Republican connections.
When Noem defended the campaign’s effectiveness to Kennedy, he replied sharply: “Well, they were effective in your name recognition.”
Kennedy suggested the campaign created serious problems for the president, expressing doubt about Trump’s supposed approval. “It’s just hard for me to believe knowing the president as I do, that you said, ‘Mr. President, here’s some ads I’ve cut and I’m going to spend $220 million running them’ that he would have agreed to that,” Kennedy stated.
Trump later contradicted Noem’s testimony in an NBC News interview, claiming ignorance about the campaign and expressing displeasure with it.
“I spent less money than that to become president. I didn’t know about it,” Trump said.
Kennedy revealed that Trump contacted him Tuesday evening in an angry state about the situation. “Her version and the president’s version of whether the president, A) was informed and B) consented are decidedly different,” Kennedy explained.
Following Noem’s termination, Kennedy described speaking with Trump after the secretary’s testimony, saying the president was “mad as a murder hornet.”
When Trump initially selected Noem for his Cabinet, he praised their long relationship and called her “very strong” on border security. As recently as January, following controversy in Minneapolis, Trump said she was performing “great.”
Beyond the Mount Rushmore advertisement, Noem appeared in additional promotional content and maintained a constant social media presence showing her fieldwork. From her first days in office, she made herself visible during enforcement operations, including arrests in New York City where she wore protective gear and described removing “dirtbags off the streets.”
Her public appearances included piloting aircraft in Alaska, participating in firefighting training exercises, and accompanying agents during a Chicago raid near a Walmart location. In one controversial video, she stood before crowded prison cells in El Salvador, warning potential illegal immigrants about possible consequences.
While Noem successfully elevated her public profile, she ultimately became another senior administration official to clash with the president and face removal from her position. Trump announced Oklahoma Republican Senator Markwayne Mullin as her replacement and said Noem would serve as “Special Envoy for The Shield of the Americas,” a new Western Hemisphere security initiative.
