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By Jenna Sundel and Gabe Whisnant
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President Donald Trump on Thursday said he did not sign off on a $200 million border security advertising campaign featuring Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.
“I never knew anything about it,” Trump told Reuters in a phone interview.
Trump announced on Truth Social on Thursday that Noem will be moving on from her current position as Homeland Security secretary to serve as special envoy for The Shield of the Americas, a new security initiative in the Western Hemisphere that will be announced on Saturday.
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I thank Kristi for her service at 'Homeland,'” Trump wrote.
Noem, who oversaw the administration’s aggressive immigration crackdown, faced questioning from Democrats and Republicans during a Senate hearing this week over the contracting process behind the ad campaign. Lawmakers pressed her on how the funds were awarded and the involvement of Republican‑connected firms.
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Why It Matters
The comment to Reuters comes as Trump is privately expressing anger at Noem over her Senate testimony, according to National Review.
Noem also faced scrutiny as the Department of Homeland Security carries out a series of immigration enforcement operations in multiple states. Two U.S. citizens, Renee Good and Alex Pretti, were fatally shot by federal agents in Minnesota in January during enforcement operations.
Following the deaths of Good and Pretti, Noem's approval rating declined and a group of House Democrats introduced articles of impeachment against her.
What To Know
During the National Prayer Breakfast last month, Trump said he would not consider firing Noem.
“They were saying about Kristi Noem yesterday … ‘sir, are you going to relieve Kristi Noem from her duties?’ No. Why would I do that?” Trump said. “We have the strongest border in the history of our country. We have the best crime numbers we’ve ever had, going back to the year 1900. That’s 125 years.”
Trump said on Thursday that Senator Markwayne Mullin, an Oklahoma Republican, will become the Homeland Security secretary.
"Serving 10 years in the United States House of Representatives, and 3 in the Senate, Markwayne has done a tremendous job representing the wonderful People of Oklahoma, where I won all 77 out of 77 Counties — in 2016, 2020, and 2024! A MAGA Warrior, and former undefeated professional MMA fighter, Markwayne truly gets along well with people, and knows the Wisdom and Courage required to Advance our America First Agenda," Trump said.
The president said Noem "has served us well, and has had numerous and spectacular results (especially on the Border!)"
Senator John Kennedy, a Louisiana Republican, asked Noem during her testimony this week: "How do you square that concern for waste, which I share, with the fact you have spent $220 million running television advertisements that feature you prominently?"
Noem responded: "Sir, the president tasked me with getting the message out to the country and to other countries where we were seeing the invasion come from with putting commercials out that told them that if they were in this country illegally that they needed to leave or we would detain them and remove them, and they'd not get the chance to come back to America the right way."
She said the ad campaign has been "extremely effective."
Kennedy asked if Trump approved the ads, which Noem answered affirmatively. Kennedy told reporters that he asked the president about the exchange.
“The president of the United States called me, and I’m not going to speak for him, folks, but, I would put it this way: his recollection and her recollection are different,” Kennedy said.
The senator also asked Noem about the companies that produced the ads and the bid process for the service contracts.
Kennedy said that "Safe America Media was a company formed 11 days before you picked them and that The Strategy Group got most of the money and the head of that is married to your former spokesperson."
Noem said: "I did not have anything to do with picking those contractors."
What People Are Saying
Senator John Kennedy, a Louisiana Republican, at a Senate Judiciary Committee Hearing this week: “I’m not saying you’re not telling the truth. 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.”
President Donald Trump, on Truth Social: "As the only Native American in the Senate, Markwayne is a fantastic advocate for our incredible Tribal Communities. Markwayne will work tirelessly to Keep our Border Secure, Stop Migrant Crime, Murderers, and other Criminals from illegally entering our Country, End the Scourge of Illegal Drugs and, MAKE AMERICA SAFE AGAIN. Markwayne will make a spectacular Secretary of Homeland Security."
What Happens Next
Trump said Mullin will become the Homeland Security secretary effective March 31.
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