Is Donald Trump smarter than most South Dakotans? Today, the worst President ever showed a glimmer of good sense and did something South Dakotans never did—he fired Kristi Noem:
Donald Trump on Thursday announced he was replacing Kristi Noem as the homeland security secretary, capping weeks of bipartisan complaints about her leadership after immigration agents killed two US citizens and reports emerged that she was involved in a personal relationship with a top deputy.
Noem’s firing was the first major personnel shake-up of Trump’s second term. The president made it public in a post on Truth Social, in which he said Markwayne Mullin, a Republican Oklahoma senator, would take over from Noem starting on 31 March [Chris Stein, “Trump Fires Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem,” The Guardian, 2026.03.05].
South Dakotans hired Kristi Noem for three government jobs: State Representative in 2006, U.S. Representative in 2010, and Governor in 2018. Despite regular demonstrations of her ill-suitedness for public service, South Dakotans reëlected Noem five times during her 18-year local political career. Donald Trump needed 16 months from the time he picked her to recognize and act on her gross lack of qualifications (see here, here, here, here, here, here, and here) for the job she says she asked for.
Or maybe he just got sick of her fooling around with her top advisor Corey Lewandowski.
Whatever spurred Trump’s South Dakota-beating good sense, it didn’t go far. Trump is still keeping her on his leash with a made-up job:
In a social media post, Noem wrote she looked forward to her new role as a special envoy for a new “Security Initiative in the Western Hemisphere.”
In that role, she will work with Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, she said, adding that her new position will “build on the partnerships and national security expertise” that she made as DHS secretary, but did not go into detail.
“I look forward to working with them closely to dismantle cartels that have poured drugs into our nation and killed our children and grandchildren,” she said, adding that the “Western Hemisphere is absolutely critical for U.S. security.” Trump said her title would be special envoy for the Shield of Americas, “our new Security Initiative in the Western Hemisphere” that will be announced at a conference in Doral, Florida, on Saturday [Ariana Figueroa, “Kristi Noem Out as DHS Secretary; Trump Says She’s Moving to Job as Special Envoy,” South Dakota Searchlight, 2026.03.05].
No word yet on how many jets a special envoy gets.
Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York aptly summarizes Noem’s corrupt tenure at Homeland Security:
From day one of her tenure as the so-called Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, Kristi Noem has proven to be a deeply unqualified, unhinged, out-of-control, pathological liar who repeatedly abused her power. She was a complete and total disaster. We made clear weeks ago that Kristi Noem must be fired or she would face impeachment. Her well-deserved termination is long overdue, consistent with what we have demanded.
Under her watch, taxpayer dollars have been weaponized by DHS to kill American citizens, brutalize communities and violently target law-abiding immigrant families, all while she paraded around in a luxury jet and wasted public funds to glorify her ICE Barbie self-image. We will hold her accountable for every single dollar that was corruptly spent at DHS [Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, statement, 2026.03.05].
Our Minnesota neighbors who suffered so horribly under Noem’s senseless persecution are glad to see Noem out:
“Kristi Noem has done a stunning amount of damage and it’s good she’s gone. But this doesn’t change the fact that we need a complete overhaul of DHS, impartial investigations into the killings of two American citizens, and information on children that were taken from Minnesota,” Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz posted on his X account.
U.S. Sen. Tina Smith, a Democrat from Minnesota, released a statement on Noem’s departure.
“Kristi Noem led a lawless and violent agency that wreaked havoc on our state and killed two Americans. Her firing is welcome news, but it is much too late,” Smith said in her statement. “Firing Kristi Noem will not bring back Alex Pretti. It will not bring back Renee Good. It will not make Minnesota whole again after the horror and devastation wrought upon us by Operation Metro Surge. Until Congress passes meaningful restraints to rein in ICE’s terror, nothing will substantively change. ICE will take its reckless and dangerous behavior to whichever city or town the President decides to target next.”
Minnesota’s Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan was slightly more candid. “Don’t let the door hit you on the way out. Just because you got fired, Minnesotans won’t forget what you did to our neighbors. We will continue to fight for you to be held accountable,” Flanagan wrote on her X account.
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey had a two word response on his X account. “Good riddance,” Frey said [Rae Yost, Marissa Brunkhorst, and Michael Doorn, “Noem’s Job Loss Stirs Up Social Media,” KELO-TV, 2026.03.05].
For the first time in this Presidential term, I can say, honestly, “Well done, Mr. President.”
p.s.: Amelia Joy made a good decision back in 2024 when she unhitched her wagon from Kristi Noem’s star. Noem lured Joy from Florida to Pierre in January 2023 to spin and burn the South Dakota press. Joy left for Washington 17 months later, after languishing underused and underappreciated in the Capitol by a Governor who tanked her own Vice-Presidential aspirations by bragging about killing her dog and her goat. Joy announced on LinkedIn Monday that she is starting a new job as Senior Advisor in the Office of Communication and Outreach at the Department of Education… a real job in a real department of the United States federal government.
I’ve heard it hypothesized that Bondi will be next in order to make room for Ken Paxton so Trump can endorse Cornyn in the primary.
Putting in a competent attorney general may not be a good thing either. Not saying Paxton is competent.
A family with no ethics or integrity.
So now what, Hawgsbreath has to fight Lewdandusty for Noem’s affections and how does Brion fit in?
In other good news, former beauty queen and former wannabe US attorney, Lindsey Halogen is under investigation by the Floriduh bar. Not sure why Bondi isn’t also the subject of a bar investigation in gator land.
It is either skullduggery, or Mr. President Trump is sending her to run the war.
Of course, she’s now eligible to come back and run for Governor again.
Trump didn’t like that she lied about his approving the hundreds of millions for ads that she is prominent in. She’ll have to get Rounds senate position now. She’s still running for president you know. She still has the big Lewandowski too. He can manage her campaign. Happy as two clams. Her hubby gets a shot every now and then. Its versatile.
Imagine Trump pissed about lying. Tru!y astounding.
There’s going to be a lot to unwind when/if a decent administration ever gets into office.
I am afraid, sx, that our gubmint and all the departments will be so tainted with corruption only rats and cockroaches would ever enter the buildings.
The uninformed voters of South Dakota elected this psychopathic fraud to public office. Maybe South Dakota voters should reflect on their own past judgement and begin to revise their outlook by turning off mainstream media and doing their own research before voting. When voters picked Noem over Billy Sutton for governor in 2024, that told us that the majority of South Dakota voters elect candidates based on party as opposed to character. Just as with Trump, people willingly gave these degenerates power. Until voters elect leaders with integrity, honesty, decisiveness, empathy and compassion who believe in a government of the people, by the people, for all people, our democracy will continue our downward slide into autocracy led by the billionaires who support it.
Correction. Voters picked Noem over Billy Sutton for governor in 2018.
It is truly sad that our elected representatives in Washington, DC had to comment about the good job she has done in the administration serving the people of the United States. It was truly sickening.
A former legislator who I know has said that she didn’t used to be so awful when she was in the legislature. He thinks she started getting this way after she won her first Congressional election. It could be because she tarted to be groomed by the DC Republican elites to be more partisan. She spent little time doing actual work there, while being pushed more into fundraising activities for Republican Congressional Campaign Committee.
Noem was able to bury her past speeding tickets and DUI when she beat Herseth in 2010. She was already arrogant and above the law.
The Republican regime rid SD of Herseth, Johnson, and Daschle, ensuring a trifecta. It’s been downhill ever since.
The tune “The Wicked Witch is Dead” from the Wizard of Oz keeping playing in my head with lots of different lyrics.
The Ice Barbie is gone, frozen from her job, off to South America, to thaw. I’m sure you all have a few choice words as well.
So glad Trump gave her a made-up job, no one wants her back here, do they?
Adios Ice Barbie
I think DJT was furious because
(1) She threw him under the bus about the ads, AND she didn’t cut him in. $220 million was spent on those ads (that we know of) – the entire Dune cost $165 million and it actually had good actors, and excellent special effects. All we got in the ads was Kristi.
(2) The ever leaking scandal of her and Lewandowski. The latest blanket and bag on the plane…
(3) She was supposed to make DHS & ICE operations what MAGA wanted, without killing actual (white) American citizens or jangling her Rolex in front of tattooed inmates in El Salvador.
I know there is no love between Noem and Rounds. I’m not sure what her and Jackley’s relationship is like; I suspect they came to an agreement a few years ago but not sure how strong that agreement is.
I would not be surprised if she challenged Rounds. Rounds has been running ads recently so he might have suspected Noem was on her last days in DC and wanted to be ready for a Noem challenge. Two ex-governors who abuse state resources would be an interesting fight. Or more like who could suck up more too Trump.
Trump gave her that job because he probably knows she can’t win anymore in SD and doesn’t want to turn her into Marjorie Taylor Greene.
VM – Kristi Noem has not been charged with DUI.
– Speeding tickets — more than 20 over two decades
– Driving without a license (at least once)
– Seat belt violations and failure to stop at stop signs
I am not a fan of Noem but you might consider posting a retraction
Thank you, Rich, I should have googled it.
So he just essentially gave her a new job in an area not sufficient damage had been done yet I wonder if tis was meant to cler the field for Hawgsbreath to romance her w/o lewdandlusty hanging around?.