A part of the Trump administration Noem more

[cartoon id="305347"] Kristi Noem is witnessing the blunt reality she too was not immune from being terminated. President Trump gave Noem her walking papers last week, dismissing her as director of Homeland Security. She was the first cabinet member fired in Trump’s second term, in direct contrast to the routine dismissals of cabinet officials that occurred in his first administration. As was the case with most Trump administration officials, she had assumed loyalty to the president would make her impervious to any consequences for her performance. But from the outset Noem was over her head and desperate for attention Rather than advance Trump’s definitive political issue, she turned immigration enforcement into a significant political liability. After her deplorable and pathetic performance before Congress last week, it was clear that Trump had enough and decided that she had to go. Noem was insultingly performative, evident in the flashy attire she occasionally adorned for the cameras when she joined agents on immigration raids. The former secretary arrogantly posed in front of a group of shirtless, tattooed men behind bars during a visit to a notorious El Salvador prison, where the Trump administration sent people accused of being violent gang members, rapists, and murderers. Additionally, she derisively referred to immigrants convicted of crimes as “scumbags.” Just as disturbing, during her tenure as Homeland Security secretary, horrid levels of terror occurred when masked immigration agents randomly unleashed wanton violence against individuals and businesses in cities such as Minneapolis, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Washington, D.C. Initially, Trump did not react, supporting the ruthless approach. But Noem was out of control, and the crackdown exploded in Minneapolis with rampant and ruthless raids that often ended with tear gas in the streets. Being the savvy media connoisseur he is, Trump was astute how adversely such gut-wrenching drama affected the ratings for television, his major weapon. Noem despicably stated that Renee Good and Alex Pretti, U.S. citizens whom federal immigration agents fatally shot in Minneapolis, had committed “domestic terrorism,” an irrational assertion that irrefutable video evidence obliterated. Soon afterwards, Trump replaced Greg Bovino, the originator of the debacle who reported directly to Noem, and replaced him with border czar Tom Homan, with whom Noem had an antagonistic relationship. Her spending habits riled many people across the political spectrum. Noem faced fierce criticism for the DHS’s spending of billions of dollars allocated by Congress — including her purchase of two Gulfstream G700 luxury jets for almost $200 million during a government shutdown — and over the snail’s pace of emergency funding ratified through FEMA for disaster response. Her department leased an opulent plane with a queen bed, a kitchen, four televisions, and a bar. The official explanation was the vehicle “will serve dual missions — both as ICE deportation flights and for cabinet level travel,” a dubious expenditure for a department that seemingly took perverse pleasure in torturing and terrorizing detainees. Her public personal scandals included long-running gossip of an extramarital affair with former Trump campaign manager Corey Lewandowski, (talk about a bad kept secret) who was also dismissed. The story of a coast guard pilot allegedly being dismissed because one of Noem’s personal blankets was accidentally left behind on another plane, only to be reinstated because no one else was available to fly the plane, was another example of her disturbingly uncontrolled prima donna antics. Her nonsense came to a head when Noem endured a two-day grilling on Capitol Hill and was subjected to rare, yet intense criticism from both Democrats and Republicans. One particular point of contention was a $220 million ad campaign that included a scene of Noem riding horseback at Mount Rushmore in her native South Dakota. Noem told members of Congress President Trump had been aware of the campaign in advance, but Trump denied it. “I never knew anything about it,” he responded. That was apparently the straw that broke the camel’s back. Soon after, he announced on social media Noem would become special envoy for the Shield of the Americas while Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.) would take over at DHS. Many will no doubt declare Noem the most incompetent Homeland Security secretary in American history. Along with other members of the administration, she denounced, demonized, and terrorized immigrants and inflicted abject harm by targeting noncriminal, hardworking families. The number of deaths in immigration detention rose to a two-decade high during her tenure, while personnel in DHS oversight offices were brutally reduced. “Kristi Noem will be remembered for treating the American people like she treated her dogs," noted former Trump administration member turned critic Miles Taylor, who was chief of staff at the DHS during Trump’s first term. It is a sad state of affairs. - Copyright 2026 Elwood Watson, distributed by Cagle Cartoons newspaper syndicate Elwood Watson is a professor of history, Black studies, and gender and sexuality studies at East Tennessee State University. He is also an author and public speaker.