Kristi Noem Fired: Trump Boots 'Ice Barbie' After Immigration Fumbles and Affair Rumors — As Prez Fills Vacant Role Instantly
Kristi Noem has been fired as DHS Secretary.
March 5 2026, Published 2:14 p.m. ET
Kristi Noem is out as Homeland Security Secretary, RadarOnline.com can reveal, as President Trump has made his first cabinet shakeup of his second term.
The woman nicknamed "Ice Barbie" had been on watch after her fiery congressional hearing earlier this week that saw her take on both critical Democrats and Republicans.
There's No Place for Noem
President Trump made the announcement on Thursday, March 5.
On Thursday, March 5, Trump announced on Truth Social that Noem has been replaced with Senator Markwayne Mullin of Oklahoma.
He did let the ousted secretary save face by giving her a new, previously nonexistent role – "Special Envoy for the Shield of the Americas."
"I am pleased to announce that the Highly Respected United States Senator from the Great State of Oklahoma, Markwayne Mullin, will become the United States Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS), effective March 31, 2026," Trump wrote in his statement.
"The current Secretary, Kristi Noem, who has served us well, and has had numerous and spectacular results (especially on the Border!), will be moving to be Special Envoy for The Shield of the Americas, our new Security Initiative in the Western Hemisphere we are announcing on Saturday in Doral, Florida. I thank Kristi for her service at 'Homeland.'"
ICE-Y Testimony
The president had to backpedal from a claim Noem made.
The writing may have been on the wall after Noem was questioned by the Senate Judiciary Committee earlier this week on her handling of recent immigration crackdowns, including her response after the killings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti by ICE agents.
During her testimony, the secretary suggested that the immigration protesters were involved in acts of domestic terrorism; however, when questioned by angry senators, the 54-year-old backpeddled and insisted she "did not" call Pretti a "domestic terrorist," but argued that she suggested he was involved in an "incident" related to domestic terrorism.
Trump was forced to clean up another of Noem's messes after she told the same panel the president had signed off on a border security advertising campaign featuring her that cost the government $220million. She came under further scrutiny when it was discovered the firm handling the ad campaign was connected to the husband of Noem’s former spokeswoman.
On Thursday, Trump tried to distance himself from the controversy, telling reporters, "I never knew anything about it."
Affair Rumors
Noem was also accused of having an affair with her advisor.
Noem's political tenure has been marred by controversies, including rumors of an alleged affair with her advisor Corey Lewandowski, 52, who has been married since 2005.
Lewandoski joined Trump's 2024 campaign as a senior advisor last August, but was removed, reportedly due to staff conduct. He has since served as Noem's de facto chief of staff.
"Things are (explicit)," one insider said about Noem and Lewandowski in December. "It's horrible, they're going to destroy this place. I'm just hoping the new secretary gets here in time."
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The Death of Her Dog
She confessed to killing her family's puppy.
Noem made headlines even before taking the DHS job, after she revealed in her memoir that she had shot and killed a family puppy.
In her 2024 book, No Going Back, Noem boasted she shot the 14-month-old puppy named Cricket, claiming the female dog was "aggressive," and putting her disgust for the animal on display.
"I hated that dog,” Noem wrote, labeling the pet "worthless." She also justified her act by sharing that "the dog was actively killing animals for fun, had been massacring chickens, and then had tried to bite me and attack me.
"That is something that happens from time to time, and keeping children and people safe is incredibly important."
Noem revealed she then buried the puppy in a gravel pit.
She added: "It was not a pleasant job, but it had to be done."
