President Donald Trump gave Kristi Noem the boot from his Cabinet months ago.
But now she’s finding out just how thoroughly Washington wants to wipe her face from history. Her replacement, Markwayne Mullin, was sworn in on March 25, just weeks after her firing.
The former Oklahoma senator has methodically dismantled his predecessor’s legacy at the agency since ending any association with her.
Noem spent much of her tenure at DHS placing herself front and center on camera. She appeared everywhere from TSA screening lines to a widely mocked visit to El Salvador’s CECOT mega-prison.
Standing in front of a cell packed with tattooed inmates while wearing a reported $50,000 Rolex, she warned undocumented immigrants, “This is one of the consequences you could face.”
The 54-year-old later appeared in a TSA video blaming Democrats for the government shutdown, a clip ethics experts argued violated the Hatch Act.
The controversy prompted some airports to decline to air it altogether.
Her highly visible media strategy ultimately became part of the criticism surrounding her tenure.
However, according to a new report, the office of the new DHS sent an email to U.S. Customs and Border Protection last week.
He asked whether any videos featuring Noem were still being played at airports or other ports of entry.
The email did not mince words. “If so, please kindly remove them as soon as possible and provide confirmation of removal,” it read.
Noem was pushed out on March 5 after bipartisan backlash over a $220 million taxpayer-funded ad showing her on horseback in a cowboy hat near Mount Rushmore.
Kristi Noem is now painting Trump’s border wall black hoping it will burn migrants who try to climb it pic.twitter.com/a3GcOlaWwp
— PatriotTakes 🇺🇸 (@patriottakes) August 20, 2025
She testified that Trump approved the spending, some of which reportedly went to a GOP consulting firm tied to her.
Since taking over, Mullin has also scrapped many of Noem’s signature initiatives.
Among them were roughly 2,500 branded ICE vehicles that agents reportedly said made them easier targets.
Noem’s custom Boeing 737 Max 8 reportedly cost about $70 million, equipped with a mirrored wardrobe, bar, and multiple TVs.
Then there was the jet with a queen-size bed.
Critics dubbed it the “mile-high boudoir” as rumors continued to swirl about her relationship with adviser Corey Lewandowski.
BREAKING🚨: Kristi Noem & Corey Lewandowski reportedly forced at least 15 senior DHS (CBP) staffers to resign, retire, relocate, or get fired. They're now facing heat over possible misuse of DHS-funded contracts, with Lewandowski allegedly acting like he had full immunity. pic.twitter.com/WppZhE22Wf
— Officer Lew (@officer_Lew) March 12, 2026
June 2026 reports claimed that Melania Trump was expected to use the same aircraft for travel between New York and Washington. The development only fueled more speculation about why Noem appeared eager to distance herself from the plane.
Social media has not forgotten any of it and mocked her being erased.
One Daily Beast reader joked, “Markwayne Mullin is being haunted by the ghost … and has asked that all videos of her playing in airports or other ports of entry be removed.”
Another blasted, “Kristi Noem got what she deserved.. She abused her power and her job position and now karma is coming back to her with revenge.. I hope she is enjoying her retirement with her husband … How humiliating but well deserved. Adios amigo.”
A third person inquired, “I want to know if Noem & Lewandowski are still living together in military housing. And, how the heck is her husband?”
The latest scrutiny centers on Kristi Noem and a heavily guarded waterfront home at Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling.
Last year, Noem moved into the government-funded residence, reserved for the Coast Guard commandant. last year. She has remained there for more than four months after leaving the role.
Lewandowski told “The Wall Street Journal,” “Scores of people have visited Ms. Noem at the house in a business capacity.”
His remarks fueled speculation about their relationship. They also raised questions about why he remained a fixture after leaving the Department of Homeland Security on March 28.
Trump did not send Noem into political exile.
Trump appointed her Special Envoy for the Shield of the Americas, a Western Hemisphere security initiative launched in Doral, Florida.
Lewandowski’s social media account praised her for delivering “spectacular results” at DHS, a claim that many online viewed skeptically given the circumstances surrounding her departure.
One of Noem’s final actions as DHS secretary is also still working its way through the courts.
Before leaving office, she moved to end Somalia’s Temporary Protected Status. A judge blocked the move, but the Supreme Court later weighed in. DHS is still honoring Somali work permits while the lower court responds.
Her post-DHS comeback has also produced fresh headlines.
During a June 13 Newsmax interview with Greta Van Susteren, Noem was asked to identify America’s strongest ally in South America. She named Ecuador, Argentina, and Costa Rica, apparently overlooking that Costa Rica is located in Central America.
Between the disappearing airport videos, the luxury jet, and the geography blunder, Noem’s post-Cabinet chapter has remained almost as headline-grabbing as her time leading the department.
Even as her successor works to erase the public reminders that she was ever there.
