Trump defends Noem at National Prayer Breakfast, rejects calls to fire DHS secretary: 'Why would I do that?'
President Donald Trump completely rejected the idea of firing Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem despite mounting criticism over the administration's immigration enforcement tactics.
While addressing the National Prayer Breakfast on Thursday, Trump said that he had been asked about firing Noem during his interview with "NBC Nightly News" anchor Tom Llamas. The president dismissed the notion entirely.
"Why would I do that?" Trump said. "We have the strongest border in the history of our country. We have the best crime numbers we've ever had going back to the year 1900."
NBC released a transcript of the interview ahead of time, giving a look at the moment Trump was asked whether he still believes in Noem.
"Look, look, she was in charge of the border. The border’s closed. I mean, everybody gives me A+ on the border. The border was a disaster. People were pouring into our country," Trump said, according to the NBC transcript.
When Llamas pressed the president on the issue of enforcement, Trump doubled down on his confidence in his administration's crackdown on illegal immigration.
"They don’t even try and come up now. . . We have very good — you just — you just asked me a — Kristi. We have the best crime numbers that we’ve had in 125 years. I think she’s doing a very good job. Again, public relations. She’s not getting credit for the job that she does," Trump is quoted as saying in the transcript.
REP JEFFRIES ESCALATES RHETORIC AGAINST NOEM, SAYS DHS LEADER SHOULD BE ‘PUT ON ICE PERMANENTLY’
During his speech on Thursday, Trump defended several members of his administration, while taking swipes at former presidents Joe Biden and Barack Obama. He called Biden the "world's worst president" and said Obama was "a terrible divider of our country."
The president joked that his most recent predecessor, Biden, would not take it personally that he called him the "world's worst president" because "he had no idea he was president."
"He had no idea he was president, so he doesn't take it personally. I don't want him to take it personally. Fortunately, he has no idea what the hell I'm saying," Trump said.
Turning his criticisms to Obama, he said that the 44th president was "very bad."
"He was a divider, and — believe it or not — we're bringing the country together," Trump told the crowd, adding that the "tremendous success" of his administration was uniting Americans.
Trump, who has not shied away from insulting his opponents, has repeatedly made clear his disdain for Obama and Biden, even going so far as to put it in writing on the new White House "Presidential Walk of Fame."
The walk of fame, which was unveiled in September 2025, features photos of presidents along with plaques featuring facts about America's past leaders. For Biden, rather than using a photo of the 46th president, the Trump administration used a picture of the autopen, a device that was used during his administration to sign important orders, including pardons.
Both Biden and Obama's "Walk of Fame" plaques feature digs at their presidencies. Biden's plaques include the nicknames Trump gave him, including "Sleepy Joe Biden" and "Crooked." Meanwhile, Obama's plaques refer to him as "one of the most divisive political figures in American History."