The Complete Timeline Of Kristi Noem & Corey Lewandowski's Rumored Affair

The fires of Kristi Noem and Corey Lewandowski's rumored affair were initially stoked by American Greatness back in September 2021. By then, Donald Trump's controversial Homeland Security Secretary had been married to Bryon Noem for nearly three decades, and the happy couple had welcomed three kids. As for Corey, he had been married to Alison Lewandowski, who sadly lost her first husband in the September 11 terrorist attacks, for nearly 16 years and shared four children with her. Kristi's dalliance with her then-adviser had been going on for months by the time the outlet reported on it. However, we later learned that their alleged affair started much sooner. Shortly after the report dropped, though, Kristi denied it in a since-deleted tweet, insisting, "These rumors are total garbage and a disgusting lie," per CNN. "These old, tired attacks on conservative women are based on a falsehood that we can't achieve anything without a man's help." The politician also reaffirmed her love for Bryon and the "god-fearing family we've raised together." 

Around the same time, Politico published an equally shocking report detailing Trashelle Odom's allegation that Corey had repeatedly touched her inappropriately during a charity event just days prior and even made unwanted sexual remarks to her too. Thereafter, Kristi's spokesperson shared another statement, this time with Politico, asserting that Corey only served as a "volunteer" for her and hadn't received any money for his services. "He will not be advising the Governor in regard to the campaign or official office," the statement further clarified. If only that were true, the former South Dakota Governor wouldn't reportedly be facing the possibility of losing her job several years into the future.

In September 2023, insiders dished to the Daily Mail that Kristi Noem had continued to secretly work with Corey Lewandowski despite her public proclamation that they were parting ways. However, that information had apparently been kept under wraps because Kristi's husband, Bryon Noem, would have been infuriated if he learned just how much time his wife was really spending with Lewandowski. Somewhat surprisingly, that was the least shocking aspect of the report, since it also alleged that Donald Trump's former adviser had been having an affair with Kristi since 2019 at the very latest. According to sources, the pair had done so little to conceal their relationship that someone had even mistaken the Republican politician for Lewandowski's wife, leading him to awkwardly correct them. 

Notably, the then-South Dakota governor's spokesperson shared a statement with the tabloid not only denying the story outright but also labelling it as a means to tarnish her reputation, as payback for her endorsement of Trump. Around the same time, a confidant informed the New York Post that they were baffled to spot Kristi and her political adviser packing on the PDA in a hotel lobby at the 2021 Conservative Political Action Conference, despite being surrounded by people. 

"This has been a known, open thing and we've all been waiting for it to blow up at some point," the source explained about the duo's rumored affair. Two onlookers also claimed that they had seen Kristi sitting on her rumored beau's lap when they were attending an event at Mar-a-Lago, in 2020. Additionally, one insider posited that Bryon had stopped living with his wife about two years prior.

A September 2023 report by the Daily Mail added to the ever-growing list of Kristi Noem and Corey Lewandowski moments that didn't help the messy affair rumors. The tabloid discovered Facebook photos of the rumored couple shopping for a dog together back in December 2019. If that wasn't eyebrow-raising enough already, the pooch was meant to be a Christmas present for the former South Dakota Governor's son. Moreover, Noem and Lewandowski had not only taken multiple trips on private planes together but also enjoyed vacations in luxury resorts too. The rumored couple had apparently also continued their tradition of personally victimizing innocent bystanders with their PDA, as one onlooker recalled that they, "Thought it was strange that two married people like Noem and Lewandowski were being pretty touchy-feely." According to them, Donald Trump's adviser and his supposed colleague were basically inseparable throughout their trip. 

However, all that bad press was still not enough for Noem to draw a line in the sand. In November 2024, Politico insiders divulged that Lewandowski had been instrumental in convincing Trump that the former South Dakota governor should lead the Department of Homeland Security. To no one's surprise, confidants informed Politico the following month that Lewandowski had been acting as an adviser of sorts to Noem as she prepared for her job at the DHS. According to sources, the political adviser sat in on meetings with Noem's team and even offered her advice on which politicians to employ in the agency. However, Lewandowski's response to the report was: "It's all Fake News and no one cares."

In April 2025, The Wall Street Journal reported that Corey Lewandowski's aspirations to work as Kristi Noem's chief of staff were thwarted by President Donald Trump and his most trusted aides because they believed that the affair rumors ultimately wouldn't bode well for anyone involved. However, the DHS secretary seemingly found a workaround and hired Lewandowski as a special government employee instead. Despite that title, the lobbyist took on the responsibilities of a chief of staff to the point where DHS employees deemed him the "shadow secretary" or the "de facto chief of staff." Once again, Lewandowski had a nonchalant response, stating, "It's astonishing that you're writing a story about a volunteer." Notably, only a few days prior, the New York Post noted that he had referred to himself as "chief of staff" while speaking with federal agents. However, the DHS later clarified that he was only a special government employee who was serving as an adviser. 

Around the end of April, the Daily Mail offered some insight into Lewandowski and Noem's suspicious housing situation, which unsurprisingly didn't help the swirling affair gossip. According to the tabloid's sources, the Trump staffer and her rumored boy toy were living across the street from each other. Then, in July 2025, the Daily Mail claimed that Noem's move to a different location hadn't been enough to keep Lewandowski away, and he continued visiting her regularly. Notably, the politician's rep contended that the security threats had prompted the temporary relocation. However, another insider scoffed at that account, believing that she had moved to keep her affair on the down low. 

In August 2025, Axios published a report claiming that Corey Lewandowski had only worked for Kristi Noem for 69 days total, which was well within the 130-day limit that Special Government Employees (SGEs) could be employed for. However, several officials believed that President Donald Trump's former adviser had actually worked far more than that, with some even alleging that he had been walking into the DHS building with other government employees so that he wouldn't have to swipe his own card, thereby increasing the number of days he could log. Lewandowski's reported eyebrow-raising behavior only served as further proof that he wanted to stay as close to his alleged girlfriend as possible. 

After years of suspicious behavior, Kristi Noem's alleged affair finally got front page billing in September 2025, with an in-depth report from New York magazine. To start, it revealed that the former South Dakota governor had met the "Let Trump Be Trump" co-author when they were on an annual fishing trip in 2019, hosted by wealthy Republican donor Foster Friess. There's no doubt that they quickly bonded because Lewandowski joined Noem's gubernatorial campaign as an adviser shortly afterward. As time went by, they grew even closer on a personal level, leading people to speculate that they were secretly an item. 

By 2024, Lewandowski and Noem's professional ties were so strong that she entrusted him to join her in a meeting with Trump himself, where they discussed the prospect of her becoming his running mate in 2024. It seemed that the divisive politician had also caught wind of the affair rumors because he had taken to calling Noem Lewandowski's "girlfriend."

In November 2025, CNN insiders warned that Kristi Noem's rumored boy toy could soon be her undoing in Donald Trump's administration. "Yes, he likes [Noem], but it has been brought to his attention that [Lewandowski] is a problem, and the agency is being mismanaged because of it," a White House insider explained of the president's views on the rumored item. According to a source, Lewandowski had garnered an infamous reputation around the DHS for being a demanding leader who callously doled out strict reprimands. Notably, in NY magazine's previous article, an ex-staffer posited that both Noem and Lewandowski had lost their tempers with employees after some unsavory stories about their department emerged. 

"They were screaming," a DHS source recalled. "The level of disrespect and screaming at everybody in that room — I think people were really shocked and taken aback." Then, in December 2025, several White House insiders told The Bulwark that President Trump was indeed considering giving Noem the boot, but he hadn't come to a concrete decision on the matter just yet. Shortly afterward, Deputy Press Secretary Abigail Jackson shared a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, decrying the article as "fake news" before commending Noem's work in the department. 

However, that wasn't enough to put the rumor to bed for good. A few days later, an insider informed Politico that the former South Dakota governor's job might be in danger. But they reckoned there may be another government position for her. Unsurprisingly, Noem and her rumored lover reportedly started cracking under the pressure of their growing scandals.