“No Goodwill”: Why Trump Suddenly Fired Kristi Noem

The White House had not been happy with Kristi Noem for quite some time.

Donald Trump booted the 54-year-old from her position atop the Department of Homeland Security Thursday following a string of abysmal appearances this week before Congress. But the hearings, as it turns out, were just the straw that broke the camel’s back for Noem’s tenure in the executive branch.

Her position among the higher echelons of the Trump administration had become increasingly tenuous in recent months, most notably after ICE agents shot and killed two U.S. citizens in Minneapolis, marring Trump’s immigration agenda—a chief MAGA priority—in the process.

Trump spoke with Republican representatives earlier this week about his frustration with Noem, floating the idea of replacing her, according to several Republican lawmakers and three people familiar with the president’s private discussions that spoke with NBC News.

Nonetheless, the news of Noem’s departure—which came by way of a Thursday afternoon Truth Social post—came as a surprise to practically everyone. Oklahoma Senator Markwayne Mullin, who was tapped to replace the outbound secretary, told reporters that he had only heard of the decision moments before it became public. Noem, meanwhile, conducted a staged press conference (which singularly featured law enforcement officials and no real journalists), answering preplanned questions while apparently still under the belief that she was running Homeland Security. Trump reportedly alerted her before posting about his decision, but Noem still acted unaware during the event.

Another point of contention between Noem and the president: the $220 million advertising contract she used to support ICE. Trump has attempted to wash his hands of the scandal, which has grown to include allegations that Noem directed more than half of the budget into the pockets of her friends and allies, despite the fact that he appeared in full support of the initiative early last year.

She spent even more public funds, originally intended for deportation efforts, on a pair of luxury jets, decked out with private bedrooms and a bar. To keep the White House’s ire away from the needless spending, Noem lent the planes to First Lady Melania Trump, who reportedly flew on them on several occasions. Administration officials told Axios that involving Melania was more or less an “insurance policy” to keep Trump’s aggravation at bay.

Noem’s blankie scandal only further exacerbated tensions. The so-called ICE Barbie allegedly had her rumored beau, expired special employee Corey Lewandowski, fire a Coast Guard pilot last May after she neglected to bring her favorite weighted blanket onto the second flight of one of her trips. DHS insiders later suggested that the real cause of Noem’s freakout was a missing bag with potentially embarrassing contents.

“She burnt up a ton of goodwill,” an adviser who spoke with Trump told Axios. “It was everywhere. It was everything.”

In fact, “she had no goodwill on Capitol Hill,” the adviser said. “She mismanaged FEMA. She didn’t show up to hearings. She was disrespectful. No one liked her.”