Kristi Noem is facing mockery over recent claims. The Department of Homeland Security secretary said that the Trump administration‘s drug policy saved hundreds of millions of lives last year in the U.S.
She said, “We’ve got the Department of Homeland Security that is coming off its most successful year under his leadership and [in] the history of the department. We’ve secured the border, we’ve driven down the murder rates and the crime rates to historic lows in this country, saved hundreds of millions of lives by interdicting drugs across the country and in our maritime borders.”
Noem mentioned the administration was able to save 200 million lives. Viewers first pointed out that the whole population of the U.S. is about 342 million. Meanwhile, Noem is also facing criticism over ICE operations in Minnesota, where federal agents are targeting people, and advocates allege, not following protocol. Many have demanded her resignation from the position.
George W Bush created DHS in 2002 after 9/11 and it has been pretty ineffective and now out of control. It’s time it’s totally abolished and we go back to how things worked for decades.
— Farid. It’s all about Our Future Generations (@ACajunInGA) February 2, 2026
An X user noted, “Hundreds of millions? They have a high opinion of themselves, no doubt. The one with 0 ethics, morals, and laws.” One user sarcastically commented, “Yesterday, the Melania film was viewed by more people than Star Wars, now they have saved hundreds of millions of lives. It’s from the North Korean propaganda playbook. Nothing you claim can be too ridiculous.”
Talk to anyone who works with drug addicts if they can’t get their preferred drug they move onto another dangerous drug. Drug addiction is a medical issue. It can’t be fixed by blowing up boats in the Caribbean. https://t.co/mJNDrANgVG
— Decoding Fox News (@DecodingFoxNews) February 2, 2026
The third one posted, “Lies, Lies, Lies!!! This whole administration just lies constantly, and no one ever calls them out on these!!” “Hundreds of millions? Do they even know the population of the United States?” another one commented. One user commented, “Delusional as usual!”
The federal data revealed drug-related deaths went from 92,000 to 73,000 in the last year (through August 2025). So the total lives saved were a few thousand people, not millions as claimed by Noem. Some people noted the Trump Administration has a “Math deficiency,” making such massive claims that aren’t backed up by data.
