Kristi Noem Bashed for 'Purchasing Steel for Wall' Despite Trump Touting Mexico Would Pay For It — As 'Ice Barbie' Continues to Be Humiliated Over New Role
Kristi Noem is facing backlash for her latest photo.
Feb. 11 2026, Published 2:45 p.m. ET
Kristi Noem has been mocked mercilessly after posting a photo of herself signing a contract to buy more steel, despite President Trump boasting Mexico would pay for the wall, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
The 54-year-old, better known as the "Ice Barbie," took to her X to share the exact moment she put pen to paper, but all she received was a barrage of insults.
'Build Baby Build'
Noem revealed she had signed the 'last contract for the purchase of steel for the wall.'
"Just signed the last contract for the purchase of steel for the wall," Noem captioned the photo. "Build baby build." The contract finally gives the stalled project at the southern border the green light to proceed with construction.
The announcement clears a major hurdle after the Department of Homeland Security delayed about 200 miles of planned barriers while reviewing contracts for compliance.
Despite Noem's excitement over the moment, not everyone was filled with the same type of excitement, as most were quick to call out the DHS Secretary and Trump after claiming Mexico would pay for the project, not the United States.
Mexico Not Paying for Wall
Noem was bashed for the 'performative' photo, as others called out Trump.
"I thought Mexico was paying for the wall?" one user asked, as another added, "Why would we purchase steel? Don said that Mexico was paying for it… what changed?"
A person raged, "Wasn’t Mexico supposed to pay for it?" and an X user reacted, "Performative... Mexico didn’t pay for the thing that Trump promised Mexico would pay for."
A major sticking point during Trump's first presidential campaign was that Mexico would be responsible for footing the bill for the border wall, a fantasy he continued to push to his large fan base.
"I would build a great wall, and nobody builds walls better than me, believe me, and I'll build them very inexpensively, I will build a great, great wall on our southern border," Trump claimed during a 2015 speech. "And I will have Mexico pay for that wall."
Trump's Failed Promises
Trump claimed Mexico would pay for the wall during his first campaign.
However, during his second presidential campaign, the former reality star changed his tune, claiming Mexico would pay for "a piece" of his border wall.
"So with all those losers out there that say, 'Trump never got the,' you remember, I used to say, 'Mexico will pay for the piece of the wall,'" he said in 2023. "I'll say, 'What’s gonna happen if they [Mexico] fight,' I say, 'The wall gets higher.' We all had a lot of fun. But I said, 'Mexico will pay for a piece of the wall.' Well, there was no legal instrument to do that."
However, just two years later, U.S. Congress passed the president's "One Big Beautiful Bill" (OBBB), which allocated $46.5billion for border security and construction.
In response to Noem signing the latest contract, Arizona Rep. Andy Biggs gushed, "As an Arizona native, I know how important it is to have a secure border. I've introduced legislation to ensure the completion of the U.S.-Mexico border wall, and I’m excited to see our nation's leadership prioritizing this important action."
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Noem, known as the 'Ice Barbie,' was recently given a new role.
As for Noem, the latest roasting session shouldn't come as a surprise for her, as she was demoted from working on interior immigration enforcement operations after two recent ICE shootings in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
During a meeting in January, Noem was reportedly instructed to instead start focusing on securing the southern border.
White House Border Czar Tom Homan was instructed to take over the situation in Minnesota, as Trump claimed he "knows and likes many of the people there."
