Trump is evidently very pleased with acting DHS Secretary Chad Wolf. Wolf's neighbors? Not so much.


Chad Wolf, a former travel industry lobbyist and protégé of former Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen, was not President Trump's first or even second choice to take over as acting secretary after he first ousted Nielsen, then her acting replacement, Kevin McAleenan, quit, "frustrated at the increasing politicization of the DHS," The Washington Post reports. But neither of Trump's favorites at the Homeland Security Department, Ken Cuccinelli and Mark Morgan, were eligible for the acting secretary position.
After Wolf's appointment as acting DHS chief last year, his staff made him a Trump-lauding Instagram page in April to raise his stature, but it wasn't until the deployment of militarized federal agents to Portland, Oregon, in early July that Wolf "eclipsed" both Cuccinelli and Morgan "to win the president's favor," the Post reports. Current and former DHS officials, including the department's first two Republican secretaries, worry that federal overreach in Portland has caused "long-term reputational damage" at the department, set up to protect the U.S. against foreign terrorism after the 9/11 attacks.
But "after 3 1/2 years, the president finally is happy with a DHS chief," the Post reports, citing White House aides. "And while Wolf's predecessors sometimes pushed back at Trump's attempts to break rules and bend norms to fit his desired policies, Trump now has a DHS chief giving him the answers he wants."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The fealty and increasing strident tone that has endeared Wolf to Trump and his immigration czar, Stephen Miller, has also drawn strident criticism. "The use of the DHS as an instrument of the president's agenda — first at the Mexican border and now in U.S. cities — has alarmed many who have come to see the department as the enforcement arm of Trump's 'Make America Great Again' plans, and Wolf as his enabler," the Post reports. "When protesters picketed Wolf's Alexandria, Virginia, home last month, his neighbors served them snacks." Read more about Wolf's ascent at The Washington Post.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
-
Tea app hack: user data stolen from women's dating safety app
In The Spotlight Data leak has led to fears users could be targeted by men angered by the app's premise
-
The Assassin: action-packed caper is 'terrific fun'
The Week Recommends Keeley Hawes stars as a former hitwoman drawn out of retirement for 'one last job'
-
The EPA wants to green-light approval for a twice-banned herbicide
Under the radar Dicamba has been found to harm ecosystems
-
Samsung to make Tesla chips in $16.5B deal
Speed Read Tesla has signed a deal to get its next-generation chips from Samsung
-
FCC greenlights $8B Paramount-Skydance merger
Speed Read The Federal Communications Commission will allow Paramount to merge with the Hollywood studio Skydance
-
Tesla reports plummeting profits
Speed Read The company may soon face more problems with the expiration of federal electric vehicle tax credits
-
Dollar faces historic slump as stocks hit new high
Speed Read While stocks have recovered post-Trump tariffs, the dollar has weakened more than 10% this year
-
Economists fear US inflation data less reliable
speed read The Labor Department is collecting less data for its consumer price index due to staffing shortages
-
Crypto firm Coinbase hacked, faces SEC scrutiny
Speed Read The Securities and Exchange Commission has also been investigating whether Coinbase misstated its user numbers in past disclosures
-
Starbucks baristas strike over dress code
speed read The new uniform 'puts the burden on baristas' to buy new clothes, said a Starbucks Workers United union delegate
-
Warren Buffet announces surprise retirement
speed read At the annual meeting of Berkshire Hathaway, the billionaire investor named Vice Chairman Greg Abel his replacement