The Moment That Left Trump 'Angry' With Kristi Noem During Senate Hearing Revealed — After Prez Fired 'ICE Barbie' Following Intense Backlash
Donald Trump was incensed by a particular remark made by Kristi Noem.
March 5 2026, Published 7:50 p.m. ET
Donald Trump's breaking point with embattled Kristi Noem came down to one explosive remark she made during her fiery testimony before the United States Senate Judiciary Committee, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
The president gave the boot to the controversial Homeland Security chief after she bragged he had signed off on her blowing a jaw-dropping $220 million in taxpayer cash on glossy ads starring herself, only for him to later insist he "never knew anything about it" before dropping the axe on March 5.
Kristi Noem Claims Donald Trump Approved Her Blowing $220 Million on Ads
Senator John Kennedy found it 'hard to believe' Noem's claim that Trump approved her self-indulgent ad budget.
Louisiana Republican Senator John Kennedy quizzed Noem about the eye-watering cost of the ads on Wednesday, March 4, demanding to know, "How do you square that with the fact that you have spent $220 million running television advertisements that feature you prominently?”
Noem fired back, "Sir, the president tasked me with getting the message out to the country and to other countries with putting commercials out that if they were in the country illegally, that they needed to leave."
Kennedy was shocked into disbelief.
“To me, it puts the president in a terribly awkward spot. I’m not saying you’re not telling the truth," he told the then-border boss.
Kennedy scoffed, "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."
Trump 'Was Not a Happy Camper' About Kristi Noem's Ad Budget Claims
Senator Kennedy said Noem pinning her $220 million ad budget on Trump infuriated the president.
After the hearing, Kennedy said Trump was "not a happy camper" about Noem's claim he approved her super-sized ad budget for her ego-fueled TV campaign.
"I heard the secretary testify that she had explained in great detail to the president what she was planning to do and how she was going to spend this quarter-million dollars. And the president was fine with it, and that’s what I heard her say in the committee. And the president’s recollection and her recollection are distinctly different,” Kennedy noted.
Kristi Noem Blew Big Bucks on Self-Promoting DHS Ads
Noem' DHS ads featured her as a dolled-up cowgirl.
The glossy ads featured Noem on horseback while wearing tight jeans, leather chaps, and a cowboy hat as she rode through the Black Hills in her home state.
"Why do I love these wide open spaces? she asked in the spot.
“They remind me of why our forefathers came here. Not just for its beauty, but for the freedom only America provides," she continued, turning to look at Mount Rushmore.
The ad went on to feature Trump in various moments from surviving a 2024 assassination attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania, his 2025 swearing-in for a second presidential term, and shaking hands with border patrol officers.
After more shots of agents on the job making arrests, the focus shifted back to the well-coiffed brunette.
“You cross the border illegally, we’ll find you. Break our laws, we’ll punish you. Harm American citizens, there will be consequences," she promised while still on horseback.
Noem closed out the ad by telling viewers, "But if you come here the right way, your American dream can be as big as these endless skies. From President Trump and me, welcome home."
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Trump immediately named Noem's replacement after firing her as DHS secretary.
After her controversial tenure as DHS secretary, Trump finally gave Noem the heave-ho.
The president named Markwayne Mullin, a Republican U.S. senator from Oklahoma, as the new secretary while saying in a Truth Social post that Noem "has served us well" and would be taking over a position of "Envoy for The Shield of the Americas."
She's now tasked with leading "our new Security Initiative in the Western Hemisphere."
