Trump Picks South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem To Head Homeland Security

President-elect Donald Trump has reportedly picked South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem to head up the Department of Homeland Security, where she is expected to focus on securing the southern border from illegal immigration.

Noem, a Trump loyalist who had campaigned with the president-elect as recently as last month, was widely thought to be a top vice-presidential candidate early this year until she became a target of criticism on both sides of the political aisle when she disclosed in a memoir that she had shot a 14-month-old dog.

Noem tweeted Tueaday evening that she's "honored and humbled that President Donald J. Trump has selected me to be the Secretary of Homeland Security."

The governor also said that her top goal will be to secure the border.

"I look forward to working with Border Czar Tom Homan to make America SAFE again," she tweeted. "With Donald Trump, we will secure the border and restore safety to American communities so families will again have the opportunity to pursue the American Dream."

Wyoming U.S. Rep. Harriet Hageman responded to the news Tuesday by praising Noem and Trump’s choice. 

“This position requires bold leadership to get control of the mess that is our southern border. I am encouraged by all of President Trump’s picks and the impact these leaders will have in Making America Safe Again,” Hagemen said in a statement. “I look forward to Governor Noem bringing our Western values and sanity to this tragic crisis.”

Who Is Noem?

Noem, a two-term governor, has been praised for helping rebuild South Dakota’s economy after the pandemic.

 She has connected with voters on issues such as hunting, law and order and tough talk on issues such as drugs and her stance against abortion. 

In 2022, a video of her testing out a flame thrower her staff had given her for Christmas went viral. In the video, she could be seen torching a stack of empty cardboard boxes with a stream of fire, commenting “perfect” as the pile reduced to ashes.

Noem has long been a critic of U.S. border policy and enforcement. 

In January, Noem declared “every state a border state” during a speech before a joint session of the South Dakota Legislature, claiming Mexican cartels have infiltrated many states including her own. 

“Murders are being committed by cartel members on the Pine Ridge Reservation, and in Rapid City, and a gang called the Ghost Dancers are affiliated with these cartels,” Noem told South Dakota lawmakers. “They have been successful in recruiting tribal members to join their criminal activity.”

In February, Noem announced she was deploying members of the South Dakota National Guard to Texas, insisting, “The border is a warzone, so we’re sending soldiers. These soldiers’ primary mission will be construction of a wall to stem the flow of illegal immigrants, drug cartels and human trafficking into the United States of America."

Then in March, with Trump considering her as a possible running mate, Noem was besieged by negative publicity around her forthcoming memoir, where she described shooting one of her young dogs because she claimed it was "untrainable" and demonstrated aggression. 

The memoir also included a claim Noem later retracted about meeting North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un.

‘This Invasion’

After getting passed over for Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance, Noem remained in Trump’s orbit, praising him as the “toughest man I’ve ever met” during her speech before the Republican National Convention in July.

During an Oct. 14 town hall campaign event in Pennsylvania, Noem joined Trump on stage, where again she turned her focus to the U.S. border with Mexico.

“We had in the last year over 800,000 Americans lose their jobs in this country. But 1.2 non-citizens took those jobs,” claimed Noem. “They’re filling the jobs that Americans could have to provide for their families. And Kamala Harris has been in charge of this border. 

“She is the one who has been the border czar who has facilitated this invasion. I’ve always called it an invasion and a war zone down there because we see the criminals and the terrorists coming across.”

Noem hadn’t commented as Tuesday afternoon on her pending appointment to the Department of Homeland Security, which was reported in multiple news reports, including Reuters, which cited “two sources familiar with the decision.”

David Madison can be reached at david@cowboystatedaily.com.