MAGA reacts to Kristi Noem's DHS firing - Newsweek

Republicans and President Donald Trump MAGA loyalists took to social media on Thursday, reacting to news that he had fired Kristi Noem as Secretary of Homeland Security.

Trump made the announcement on Truth Social following two days of Noem testifying before the Senate and House Judiciary Committees. She will be replaced with Republican Oklahoma Senator Markwayne Mullin if Congress approves the nomination.

Laura Loomer, a conservative commentator and close ally of the president, reacted quickly, saying on X that she hoped Mullin "hasn’t sold out too much to the jihadists" and said deporting Muslims should be a priority, a policy rhetoric she has often espoused.

"Oklahoma, where Senator Mullin is from, has a massive Islamification crisis which he hasn’t been very helpful in addressing," Loomer said on X, adding that Trump's border czar Tom Homan would have been a better replacement.

MAGA influencer Nick Sortor posted a request to Mullin: "do NOT relent on mass deportations!" adding in another X post, "I like this guy so far. He’s been pretty solid in the Senate. Just needs to keep deporting."

Republican South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham took to X to thank Noem for her service, but said he thought it was "time for a change" and that Mullin would be a good fit for the position.

"Markwayne understands the enemies we face, and he has been intimately involved in dealing with threats against our homeland in the public and private sectors," Graham said on X. "He is one of the most knowledgeable people I know regarding how to protect America. Markwayne is an outstanding choice and I hope he gets the overwhelmingly bipartisan vote that he deserves."

Republican Senator Rick Scott, of Florida, also took to X, posting, "President Trump was elected to secure our border, crack down on sanctuary cities and keep our country safe. I appreciate @Sec_Noem’s dedication to that mission."

North Carolina Senator Thom Tillis, who heavily criticized Noem in recent weeks, said Mullin was a great choice for her replacement, saying he felt his colleague would "restore competence, and refocus efforts on quickly distributing disaster aid, keeping the border secure, and targeting violent illegal immigrants for deportation.

"Another big positive: he likes dogs," Tillis said, referencing Noem's killing of a 14-month-old puppy two decades ago.

Democrats quickly celebrated the president's move to oust Noem.

“Good riddance. I called for Secretary Noem to be fired, to resign, or to be impeached yesterday, and now she has been," Washington Democratic Representative Pramila Jayapal said in a statement shared with Newsweek. "Kristi Noem has overseen a lawless DHS that killed two Americans in the street, put children in prison camps, separated families, detained US citizens, led to 41 deaths in custody, and wasted millions of taxpayer dollars. Congress still cannot fund DHS until there is real, tangible proof that this will be a meaningful, structural change.”

Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, who repeatedly clashed with Noem over her federal agents' actions in Chicago, took to X to tell Noem, "Don’t let the door hit you on the way out, Kristi Noem."

Noem had overseen DHS since the end of January 2025 and had faced ongoing scrutiny over her leadership of a department under scrutiny amid massive ramp-ups in ICE enforcement activities and deportations.

"Honestly everyone is happy, since her arrival, every process has become more bureaucratic, a lot of red tape," a source at FEMA who wished to remain anonymous told Newsweek.

"Secretary Noem's departure is a breath of relief, and everyone hopes FEMA can get the same love that ICE has gotten," the source said.

Why Did Donald Trump Fire Kristi Noem?

Reports emerged earlier Thursday that Trump was considering replacing Noem, in part over testimony she gave to Congress earlier this week that she had sought the president's approval for a multi-million-dollar DHS ad campaign. Trump told Reuters he had not approved it.

Noem had also come under increasing scrutiny over her running of the Department of Homeland Security in recent months, particularly in the wake of the fatal shootings of Renee Nicole Good and Alex Pretti at the hands of federal agents. Lawmakers repeatedly asked Noem earlier this week if she would apologize for or retract comments she made calling both U.S. citizens domestic terrorists. She did not opt to do so.

What to Know About Markwayne Mullin

Oklahoma Senator Markwayne Mullin, a Republican and enrolled citizen of the Cherokee Nation, has been nominated to serve as the next U.S. secretary of homeland security, marking a rapid rise for a lawmaker who entered Congress just over a decade ago. Mullin, born in Tulsa in 1977, has served as Oklahoma’s junior senator since 2023 after winning the 2022 special election to complete former Senator Jim Inhofe’s term.

Before entering politics, Mullin took over his family’s plumbing business at age 20 and later expanded into multiple companies, eventually reporting assets ranging from $31.6 million to $75.6 million by 2021. He represented Oklahoma’s 2nd Congressional District from 2013 to 2023, winning multiple reelection campaigns and building a profile as a staunch conservative aligned with Donald Trump.

Mullin’s tenure in Congress has included high‑visibility moments, from helping barricade the House chamber during the January 6 attack to a series of heated confrontations with Teamsters president Sean O’Brien during Senate hearings. He has also backed major Trump‑era legislation, including the 2025 “One Big Beautiful Bill,” which cut Medicaid funding and added work requirements.

What is the Shield of the Americas?

The Shield of the Americas is the Trump administration’s new hemispheric security initiative, created as part of a broader effort to reshape U.S. engagement in Latin America.

The administration has made the Western Hemisphere a central foreign‑policy priority, framing the region as part of the United States’ “immediate sphere of influence” and elevating an “Americas First” approach. The initiative emerges at a moment when the administration has withdrawn from several regional organizations and postponed the traditional Summit of the Americas, signaling a shift away from large multilateral forums toward smaller, ideologically aligned partnerships.

The Shield of the Americas is being launched through a summit in Miami with a select group of right‑leaning Latin American leaders.

When Will Markwayne Mullin Take Over?

While Trump said the change would happen on March 31, Mullin's appointment requires confirmation from Congress.

Update 3/5/26, 3:34 p.m. ET: This article was updated with additional information