Kristi Noem terminated with bipartisan support

Graphic of Kristi Noem and her impeachment papers (Hugh Cochrane / The Puma Prensa)

By Hugh Cochrane, staff writer

On March 5, 2026, Kristi Noem was officially fired from her position as the Department of Homeland Security Secretary in a major shakeup of Trump’s inner circle. This comes after bipartisan pressure over the recent actions of ICE in Minneapolis with the death of Renee Good and Alex Piretti, among other reasons.

Noem stated that both of the aftermentioned people were “terrorists” and dangerous back in January, despite loads of evidence against those bold-faced claims. She continually doubled down on her claims until her recent trial where she attempted to distance herself from her claims due to the unpopularity of them. 

But this wasn’t the only reason why she was fired.

Her recent self-promoting ad campaign was another point of criticism due to the huge price of it: over $200 million of taxpayer money. With the recent issues regarding the cost of living, the criticism was vast, especially considering the length of the ad being only about two minutes long, raising questions about where the money for it had gone. 

Furthermore, she has recently faced criticism due to an alleged affair with her Chief of Staff, Corey Lewandowski. When asked about it, she said that she is shocked that “we are peddling tabloid garbage in this committee.” When asked under oath if she did have a relationship with Lewandowski, she dodged the question. 

Noem’s short time as the DHS secretary has been plagued with issues, and has finally ended, showing some potential cracks in Trump's administration.