For nearly a year, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has been President Donald Trump’s point person to carry out the mass deportation efforts that have descended on cities across the country. But while Noem’s tenure atop the nation’s centralized security services has made her one of the administration’s most visible figures, her time as a high-profile public official may be coming to an end, as rumors swirl that her days in office are numbered.
A ‘likely’ exit
The “heightened speculation” over Noem’s tenure stems in part from “increasing frustration with how she’s managed” DHS and fears she’s “bungled” her department’s supercharged budget, said Politico. There are also concerns about “tensions” between Noem and the administration’s border czar, Tom Homan, and about the “outsize role” former Trump Campaign Manager Corey Lewandowski holds at the department. Lewandowski has reportedly stepped on staff toes, and has been described as Noem’s “‘handler,’ her ‘bulldog,’ and the ‘shadow secretary,’” said New York magazine.
Despite Noem’s “abject fealty” to Trump, her “standing” in the administration has “grown less stable,” said The Bulwark. Rumors about Noem’s future have been swirling “for weeks,” with reports suggesting she could be “among the Cabinet officials who could be caught in a year-end turnover.”
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While Trump “himself is happy with Noem,” CNN said, it has been “brought to his attention” that Lewandowski is a “problem, and the agency is being mismanaged because of it,” said one White House source to the network. Noem “isn’t on the chopping block” at the moment, said Rachael Bade at her Inner Circle newsletter. Still, there are “absolutely questions internally” about whether Noem’s “potential 2028 ambitions” could eventually become a “challenge.”
Trump has also expressed concern at the expensive DHS-run TV spots that “puff up” Noem’s profile, The Daily Beast said. White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller, an architect of the administration’s deportation agenda, is “leading the charge” to oust Noem from within the administration, said MS Now. There are concerns from Miller’s camp that Noem “isn’t moving fast enough to build out more detention centers,” while “multiple governors” have personally expressed “frustration” at Noem’s “handling of FEMA and disaster relief funds” to Trump.
An emerging list of potential replacements
While Trump has publicly defended his homeland security chief, he has plenty of options to replace Noem if the persistent rumors of her ousting tilt toward more actionable circumstances. Both outgoing Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R) and former Utah Rep. Jason Chaffetz, a Fox News commentator, are “among the names being discussed,” said Politico. Youngkin, who leaves office at the start of the new year, has “previously expressed interest in an economic or business role” over one “focused on immigration,” said The Independent. Chaffetz, a “close Trump ally,” chaired the House Oversight Committee for two years, and “frequently battled Obama-era DHS officials” during his time in office, said The Daily Beast.
Still, the White House continues to publicly deny the persistent rumors about Noem’s future. “I can’t speak for the president,” said Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin to Politico when asked about the speculation, “but I’ve seen more credible reporting on Bigfoot.”
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Rafi Schwartz has worked as a politics writer at The Week since 2022, where he covers elections, Congress and the White House. He was previously a contributing writer with Mic focusing largely on politics, a senior writer with Splinter News, a staff writer for Fusion's news lab, and the managing editor of Heeb Magazine, a Jewish life and culture publication. Rafi's work has appeared in Rolling Stone, GOOD and The Forward, among others.
