Donald Trump has removed Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem from office and announced that Republican Senator Markwayne Mullin of Oklahoma will succeed her as head of the department.
Noem “will be moving to be Special Envoy for the Shield of the Americas, our new Security Initiative in the Western Hemisphere we are announcing on Saturday in Doral, Florida,” Trump wrote on Truth Social, adding, “I thank Kristi for her service at ‘Homeland.'”
“Markwayne will make a spectacular Secretary of Homeland Security. Thank you for your attention to this matter!” he wrote.
Mullin, an Oklahoma native and former MMA fighter, was selected by Trump after Noem was removed from the position following an extensive congressional hearing.
The South Dakota native is the first Cabinet secretary to leave the Trump administration during his term. The decision came after Kristi Noem was scrutinized by lawmakers in Congress over her leadership skills.
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Trump nominated her as Secretary of Homeland Security during his second term. He also supported Noem even when critics were against her leadership style and demanded her removal from office. He gave her the power to oversee ICE operations, which brought the administration immense media scrutiny.
Yet, the Minneapolis shootings, followed by the ICE protests throughout the nation, dragged Kristi Noem’s credibility through the mud. After the update, many people were curious to know more about the Oklahoma representative.
His name received attention after Trump talked about the replacement on social media. The Tulsa native’s first name, Markwayne, is a combination of two names. In a 2014 interview with Roll Call, Markwayne Mullin explained that it honors two of his uncles.
According to sources, he said, “My father was the youngest boy of eight children, and he had two brothers who never had sons,” Mullin said. “Since I was the youngest of seven kids in my family, I was named after both of them — Mark and Wayne.”
According to Mullin, this sweet gesture brought him close to both uncles, who often made his birthday memorable with extra gifts and attention. He said they always found ways to make him “feel special” despite being part of a joint family.
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Even though the name is of Irish origin, he is a citizen of the Cherokee Nation. He is only the second Cherokee Nation citizen ever elected to the U.S. Senate. The first one was Robert Latham Owen.
He left college at 20 to look after his father’s plumbing business after his father fell sick. He began his political career in 2012. He later hosted the syndicated home improvement radio program House Talk on Tulsa station KFAQ.
Mullin first won election to the United States House of Representatives in 2012, representing Oklahoma’s 2nd Congressional District for about a decade before winning a Senate seat in 2022.
As a prominent Trump ally, Markwayne Mullin also shares similar views with other conservative leaders regarding abortion. He opposes the procedure in nearly all circumstances, including cases of r-pe, incest, or when the mother’s life is at risk.
Despite Trump’s announcement, Mullin has not yet officially taken over the Homeland Security role. Trump said Noem will be in office until March 31, and Mullin’s nomination must still be confirmed by Congress before he can assume the job.
