The Official account of California Governor Gavin Newsom’s press office had an absolute field day after Donald Trump fired Kristi Noem. Oklahoma Senator Markwayne Mullin will replace her as Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, starting March 31.
Minutes after Kristi Noem’s news surfaced, Gavin Newsom began posting memes-after-memes on X (formerly Twitter). The first meme entry, on X, was a cryptic greeting that simply read, “Bye Girl!”
BYE GIRL!
— Governor Newsom Press Office (@GovPressOffice) March 5, 2026
The second post shared by Gavin Newsom was a not-so-subtle dig at Kristi Noem’s infamous dog scandal. He posted an AI-generated picture of a dog, along with a caption reading, “Justice for Cricket.”
Here’s a brief context of the meme and a refresher on the incident, in case one is needed. In her 2024 memoir No Going Back, Noem, who is also often referred to as ‘ICE Barbie,’ revealed that she had shot her 14-month-old dog, Cricket, on her family ranch. Noem’s chilling admission garnered a lot of backlash from social media users and critics alike.
Justice for Cricket! pic.twitter.com/t81fH2fVQS
— Governor Newsom Press Office (@GovPressOffice) March 5, 2026
Newsom also re-posted an article carrying the Kristi Noem news, and he wrote in a strongly-worded X post, “Kristi Noem will go down as the most shamelessly incompetent and cruel Homeland Security Secretary in U.S. history. Firing her is not enough. NOEM, GREG BOVINO, and STEPHEN MILLER all must be held accountable for terrorizing and endangering the American people.”
Interestingly, just last month, Gavin Newsom had joked about Kristi Noem’s exit from the White House in a humour-infused X post. After Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs at the Department of Homeland Security, Tricia McLaughlin’s exit from the department was announced, Newsom took a jab at Kristi Noem and wrote, “Adios! Is Kosplay Kristi next?”
Meanwhile, Noem opened up on her new role in a social media post. She thanked Trump, and an excerpt from her long post read, “Thank you, President Trump, for appointing me as the Special Envoy for the Shield of the Americas.” She also thanked Secretary Marco Rubio and Secretary of War Pete Hegseth in her post.
An excerpt from her statement read, “I look forward to working with them closely to dismantle cartels that have poured drugs into our nation and killed our children and grandchildren.”
Thank you @POTUS Trump for appointing me as the Special Envoy for the Shield of the Americas. @SecRubio and @SecWar are incredible leaders and I look forward to working with them closely to dismantle cartels that have poured drugs into our nation and killed our children and…
— Secretary Kristi Noem (@Sec_Noem) March 5, 2026
Markwayne Mullin, who will be replacing Noem, shared his reaction on being picked by Trump as the new DHS secretary, and he called it a “humbling experience.” Mullin told a reporter, on Thursday, “It’s humbling because… I had to call my dad. It’s just pretty humbling when you start thinking about it. A little kid from west Oklahoma gets to serve in the president’s cabinet, that’s pretty neat,” Mullin said.
Donald Trump, sharing the news on Truth Social, thanked Kristi Noem for her service at DHS. An excerpt from his post read, “The current Secretary, Kristi Noem, who has served us well and has achieved numerous spectacular results, especially on the border, will be moving to be Special Envoy for the Shield of the Americas, our new security initiative in the Western Hemisphere that we are announcing on Saturday in Doral, Florida.”
The President began his statement with these words, “I am pleased to announce that the respected United States Senator from Oklahoma, Markwayne Mullin, will become the United States Secretary of Homeland Security, effective March 31, 2026.”
