Kristi Noem Forced to Host Event Immediately After Trump Fired Her

Kristi Noem appeared not to know she’d been fired Thursday afternoon as she spoke before an audience of law enforcement officials.

As Donald Trump announced Noem’s sudden ouster on social media, the Homeland Security secretary was in the midst of delivering the keynote address at the Major Cities Conference in Nashville, Tennessee. Law enforcement officials asked questions and offered praise to Noem—but not one asked about her dramatic title change.

At one point, Noem teased Trump’s plan to unveil his “Shield of the Americas” policy on Saturday, where he would be joined by other cabinet secretaries to discuss his plan to combat cartels and drug trafficking. It was unclear whether she was aware that Trump had reassigned her as the program’s “special envoy.”

Fox’s White House correspondent Jacqui Heinrich reported on X that Trump had spoken to Noem shortly before posting the announcement to Truth Social.

Still, Noem repeatedly spoke about her upcoming work as DHS secretary as if her schedule had not just been cleared. She promised to meet with New York state sheriffs “real soon” and said she’d “continue to talk” to governors and state legislators about coordinating with federal immigration enforcement. While Noem may be in office until the end of March, her repeated commitments sounded surreal given that she’d just been sacked.

“I hope you have fun, I’m sorry I can’t stick around,” she said at the end of her speech, pausing for a brief photo op and then rushing offstage.

Shortly after she disembarked the stage, Noem released a statement thanking Trump for her new made-up title. “The Western Hemisphere is absolutely critical for U.S. security. In this new role, I will be able to build on the partnerships and national security expertise, I forged over the last 13 months as Secretary of Homeland Security,” she wrote on X.

Noem’s stint as head of DHS truly fell apart this week after she crumbled during back-to-back hearings before the Senate and House Judiciary Committees. In addition to repeatedly lying under oath, Noem couldn’t explain away a $220 million border security ad campaign starring herself—that Trump now claims he did not approve.

Reports were already circulating earlier Thursday that Trump had begun reaching out to Republicans in search of a possible replacement for Noem—and Mullin’s name popped up as a top contender.

This story has been updated.