Kristi Noem is currently the Special Envoy for the Shield of the Americas, a position allegedly created especially for her. According to The Irish Star, this was done to keep Noem out of the Senate race.
PunchUp reported that higher-ups wanted to ensure Noem would miss the South Dakota Republican primary deadline. An administrator source said, “It was made up to keep her busy.”
Sources suggested that she had become a liability for the White House, and they needed to “put her out to the glue factory.” As a result, Noem will not challenge incumbent Sen. Mike Rounds, who was supported and endorsed by Donald Trump.
Kristi Noem responds after being replaced as DHS Secretary by President Trump.
She thanks the president for her new appointment as Special Envoy for Shield of the Americas and highlights the historic accomplishments she and her team achieved at DHS to make America safe again.… pic.twitter.com/SWgzWjOlIe
— APT News (@APT__News) March 5, 2026
According to CNN, Trump took to Truth Social to label Rounds as “an America First Patriot.” He also stated that Rounds had his “complete and total endorsement for re-election,” adding, “He will never let you down.”
The Daily Beast also noted that to be on the primary ballot, Noem would have needed 2,171 petition signatures. She also would have had to submit them by 5 p.m. on March 31, and she only had 26 days to meet that deadline.
Thus, Noem “felt she had no choice but to show her willingness to toe the president’s line,” PunchUp reported.
The report also stated that the White House did not expect Noem to take the position so seriously. The State Department then stated that Noem’s chain of command would go through Deputy Secretary of State Chris Landau.
But “Landau has now nuked the whole thing,” a source told PunchUp. Noem had brought 10 supporters with her, a source told Politico, but within weeks, three members were fired after being placed on paid leave.
These members were former deputy chief of staff Troup Hemenway, Octavian Miller, and Josh King. They were let go because of their ties to Corey Lewandowski, according to The New York Post.
Lewandowski is Noem’s alleged lover and used to be an unpaid special government employee at DHS. A source told the outlet, “They didn’t want any people that would be tentacles for Lewandowski.”
The three aides were allegedly told, “We’re going to help you for a little bit, but you’re obviously not welcome.”
Insiders say Kristi Noem’s newly created job, special envoy to the Shield of the Americas, is basically fake! Her stuff was moved into a much smaller office where she rarely shows up. Four staffers were put on leave. How much is this costing taxpayers? 😡https://t.co/8S0jkTHz9P pic.twitter.com/SUGzUSrNZV
— Annie (@AnnieForTruth) April 12, 2026
Senior State Department officials also told the Daily Mail that Noem’s position might be temporary. They stated, “This post was intended as a soft landing so it didn’t look like Noem was immediately being fired.”
“But no one really thinks she should have this job. The State Department was not happy to have her here and the understanding is that she’s not going to be here for much longer,” they added.
