Kristi Noem's Biggest Scandal May Have Actually Convinced Trump To Hire Her

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It's only been just over a year, and Kristi Noem's tenure as Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security has been filled with inappropriate moments. For starters, the persistent affair rumors between Noem and Corey Lewandowski remain a constant distraction. On top of that, since Lewandowski remains Noem's "special government employee," their behavior when they work together continues to cause problems. At the end of 2025, some employees at DHS reported a toxic work environment, with Noem using expletives as she unleashed her anger at her staff. For a time, it seemed possible that Noem's reliance on Lewandowski might cause her to lose her job. However, according to an upcoming book, Noem's controversial behavior attracted Donald Trump's attention in a positive way.

The Atlantic looked at excerpts of Julia Ainsley's "Undue Process: The Inside Story of Trump's Mass Deportation Program," and reported that Noem's nomination was directly linked to her decision to shoot her dog. Ainsley's assertion is backed up by other authors. In "Revenge," Alex Isenstadt claimed Trump purportedly remarked to Donald Trump. Jr., "Even you wouldn't kill a dog, and you kill everything" (via New York Post). Although Trump's response sounded like a ruthless joke, Noem's behavior clearly made an impression.

Noem also appeared to have paved the way for her nomination. "This is the position that I asked him for," she informed the Argus Leader in November 2024 . "I wanted to be in a position where I was dealing with one of [Trump's] No. 1 priorities."

Although Donald Trump will forever be associated with the catchphrase, "You're fired," Kristi Noem doesn't appear to be in danger of hearing those words from her boss anytime soon. When Noem's job performance came up in a February 2026 interview with "NBC Nightly News," Trump praised her. "I think she's doing a very good job," he proclaimed. "She's not getting credit for the job that she does." The president's also tried to sweep away Noem's rumored affair with Corey Lewandowski by unconvincingly claiming he's unaware of the gossip.

While Trump is the final decision maker about Noem's employment, others are not part of the Noem fan club. "The president's instincts here are probably not to, but we've always wanted Kristi to go," one insider divulged to Semafor. North Carolina Senator Thom Tillis has been even more vocal about his dislike of the Homeland Security Secretary, comparing her with "Harry Potter" villain Dolores Umbridge. "She is terrifyingly sweet while she is around those she considers her superiors and she sucks up to authority to gain the power she needs to bully those 'beneath' her," Tillis wrote in a scathing post on X, formerly Twitter. Even so, Noem and Trump's mutual admiration extends back to his first term, so it's likely she still has a strong foothold at her current post.