Who Is Kristi Noem? What To Know About Trump's Likely DHS ...

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Forbes

Topline

President-elect Donald Trump is expected to appoint South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem as Department of Homeland Security secretary, putting her at the forefront of his aggressive planned crackdown on undocumented immigrants as Noem has made clear she aligns with Trump’s stance on the issue.

Then-Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks with moderator and South Dakota Governor ... [+] Kristi Noem during a town hall at the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center and Fairgrounds in Oaks, Pennsylvania, on October 14, 2024. (Photo by JIM WATSON/AFP via Getty Images)

AFP via Getty Images Key Facts

Noem, who was elected South Dakota governor in 2018 after representing the state in Congress, frequently appeared alongside Trump on the campaign trail and was in the running to become his pick for vice president.

As DHS secretary, Noem will helm Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP)—two key agencies for Trump’s planned crackdown on unauthorized immigration—as well as a handful of typically lower-profile agencies dedicated to emergency management, cybersecurity and transportation security.

Noem’s hardline immigration stance and rhetoric have sparked controversy during her time as governor: South Dakota’s nine tribal reservations banned Noem this year from stepping foot on their lands after she claimed, without evidence, that tribal leaders were “personally benefiting” from drug cartels operating on the reservations and committing murders there.

In response to the bans, Noem said in May that tribal leaders “should take action to ban the cartels from their lands and accept my offer to help them restore law and order,” but did not explained why she believes they are personally benefiting from cartels or present evidence that cartels were responsible for crime on the reservation.

Noem sided with Texas Gov. Greg Abbott in the state’s standoff with federal border authorities earlier this year over its decision to erect razor wire at a section of the border where migrants were crossing in Eagle Pass in defiance of a Supreme Court order, telling Fox News in January “I’ll drive [Abbott] more razor wire from South Dakota if I have to for him to do his job.”

Noem has also repeatedly sent South Dakota National Guard troops to the southern border to assist in Abbott’s efforts, accusing “President Biden and Vice President Harris” of “leaving the border wide open on purpose” in announcing a new deployment in August.

She told the South Dakota state legislature in January while advocating for her plan to send aid to Texas that “The United States is in a time of invasion . . . the 50 states have a common enemy, and that enemy is the Mexican drug cartels.”

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What To Watch For

CNN on Tuesday was the first to report Noem is likely to be tapped for the role, but Trump has yet to make an official announcement. Noem, and all of Trump’s appointees subject to Senate confirmation, are likely to sail through the process after Republicans took control of the upper chamber in last week’s election.

Who Is Kristi Noem?

Noem, 52, grew up in South Dakota on her family’s ranch in rural Hamlin County, and quit college to take over the ranch as general manager when her father died. She later received her degree from South Dakota State University in 2011 while serving in Congress. Noem first entered into politics in 2006 when she was elected to the South Dakota House of Representatives. She was elected to Congress in 2010.

Surprising Fact

Beyond politics, Noem is perhaps best-known for admitting in her book, “No Going Back: The Truth on What’s Wrong with Politics and How We Move America Forward,” published in April that she shot and killed her family’s puppy and goat. Noem claimed the dog was “untrainable . . . dangerous” and “aggressive” and that the goat was “nasty and mean” and “loved to chase” her children. In response to the backlash, Noem said she didn’t break the law, which she said “states that dogs who attack and kill livestock can be put down.” Noem wrote in her book that the dog killed a neighbor’s chicken. The admission was widely viewed to have killed Noem’s prospects of becoming Trump’s pick for vice president. Trump, however, defended Noem, telling radio hosts Clay Travis and Buck Sexton “we all have bad weeks,” calling Noem “terrific.” Noem also removed a false claim from the book that she once met with North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un.

Key Background

As DHS secretary, Noem is likely to come under intense scrutiny as she will play a key role in executing Trump’s aggressive border control policies, including his plan for mass deportations. The GOP-controlled House earlier this year impeached DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, blaming him for an influx of migrants at the southern border. Noem will also work closely with Trump’s newly announced “border czar,” Tom Homan, his former acting head of ICE.

Tangent

Trump has made several high-profile appointments to top posts in his administration since winning the election, with his first picks going to some of his staunchest loyalists. He tapped Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., for United Nations ambassador, he appointed his campaign manager Susie Wiles as White House Chief of Staff, adviser Stephen Miller as White House Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy, former Rep. Lee Zeldin, R-N.Y., as Environmental Protection Agency administrator, and Rep. Mike Waltz, R-Fla., as national security adviser. He is widely expected to announce Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., as his pick for Secretary of State.