President Trump announces his plan to replace Kristi Noem at the end of March.
On Thursday March 5, President Donald Trump announced that Kristi Noem would no longer be serving as Secretary of Homeland Security following a series of contentious congressional hearings, and he plans to replace her with Senator Markwayne Mullin (R-OK), effective March 31, 2026. Noem will now be serving in a role Trump is calling the “Special Envoy for the Shield of the Americas,” a new security initiative for the Western Hemisphere which will be announced on Saturday, according to Trump via Truth Social.
Noem’s tenure as DHS Secretary has been extremely controversial, particularly as it pertains to Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s use of force, including in the killings of American citizens Renee Nicole Good and Alex Pretti, the former of whom Noem referred to as a domestic terrorist shortly after his death. She also notably oversaw the spending of 220 million dollars from DHS to produce an ad campaign featuring her likeness riding a horse in front of Mount Rushmore, claiming the spending was approved by the president. Trump has since denied that claim.
In his post on Truth Social announcing Mullin’s nomination, Trump said “Markwayne will work tirelessly to Keep our Border Secure, Stop Migrant Crime, Murderers, and other Criminals from illegally entering our Country, End the Scourge of Illegal Drugs and, MAKE AMERICA SAFE AGAIN.” Mullin has served as Oklahoma’s Junior Senator since 2023, having won in a special election to complete the term of former Senator Jim Inhofe, who retired after winning re-election in 2020. Mullin previously served as the representative for Oklahoma’s second district from 2013 to 2023. Mullin is a member of the Cherokee Nation and is currently the only member of the Senate belonging to any Native American nation. Mullin has long been a Trump ally, even supporting the claim that the results of the 2020 presidential election had been manipulated to elect Joe Biden while campaigning for Senate in 2022.
This is the second time Mullin has made national headlines in recent weeks, the first being due to his actions at the State of the Union when he attempted to take a sign reading “Black People aren’t Apes” from Representative Al Green (D-TX). Green resisted and was subsequently removed from the chamber for the remainder of the president’s address. This recent headline leads some to suspect that this action from Mullin may have influenced President Trump’s decision to appoint him as the new DHS Secretary.
Markwayne Mullin issued a statement on Instagram and X shortly after Trump’s annoucement. @senmullin on Instagram.
For Oklahomans, Mullin’s departure from the Senate means a new Republican senator will be appointed by the governor within 30 days of the seat being vacant. Because Senator Mullin is up for re-election this year, no special election shall be held, and the appointed senator shall serve until the results of the election have been certified, at which point the winner of the election shall take office immediately, per Oklahoma statute.
The Democratic and Republican primaries take place June 16, 2026. With Mullin out of the race, it is unclear who the new Republican front-runner will be, but four candidates are currently registered: Nick Hankins, Ron Meinhardt, Tammy Swearengin and Wayne Washington. None of these candidates have held office in the past, making it likely that more experienced Republicans will enter the race in the weeks to come, as Mullin was heavily favored to win as the incumbent.
Mullin must still be confirmed by a Senate majority before he becomes the Secretary of Homeland Security, and minority leader Chuck Schumer has said via social media that he will not vote for his approval until “DHS and ICE are reined in.” However, Republicans currently hold a slim majority in the Senate, which puts them in the position to confirm Mullin without any Democratic support.
