Kristi Noem has been dismissed as Homeland Security secretary by President Donald Trump, leaving her top adviser, Corey Lewandowski, facing an uncertain political future. Trump announced the decision on Truth Social, stating that Senator Markwayne Mullin of Oklahoma will take over as Homeland Security Secretary at the end of the month. Noem will move to a new role as “Special Envoy for The Shield of the Americas,” part of a security initiative in the Western Hemisphere.
Fox News Senior White House Correspondent Jacqui Heinrich reported that Lewandowski will leave the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) alongside Noem. Lewandowski, a special government employee, wielded significant power at DHS as Noem’s top aide. According to The Wall Street Journal, Lewandowski had initially sought to serve as Noem’s chief of staff, but Trump rejected the idea amid rumours of a romantic relationship between the two. Both Noem and Lewandowski, who are married to other people, have denied the affair allegations, with Noem calling them “tabloid garbage” during a House Judiciary Committee hearing.
During their tenure at DHS, Noem and Lewandowski fired or demoted about 80 percent of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement field leadership who had been at the agency long-term, according to a Wall Street Journal report. An unnamed DHS official told The New York Times that Lewandowski had a reputation for being willing to fire anyone he thought was obstructing him. Noem faced scrutiny, including calls to resign, over her leadership of Trump’s immigration crackdown, particularly after the fatal shooting of Renee Good and Alex Pretti by federal immigration agents in Minneapolis in January.
DHS officials believe Noem and Lewandowski viewed the agency as a steppingstone in their political careers, per the WSJ. Lewandowski, who served as Trump’s first campaign manager in 2016 and advised his 2020 and 2024 campaigns, has remained close to Trump despite several scandals. In 2016, he was charged with battery for allegedly grabbing a Breitbart reporter, but the charge was dropped. In 2021, Trump donor Trashelle Odom accused him of unwanted sexual advances, which his attorney denied. While it is unclear whether Lewandowski will follow Noem to her new role, his past suggests he will remain in the MAGA sphere.
