Trump Publicly Defends Kristi Noem, Says He Won’t Remove Her Amid DHS Backlash

President Donald Trump on Thursday publicly declared that he will not remove Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, pushing back against rising questions about her leadership after a series of controversies at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

Speaking at the National Prayer Breakfast in Washington, Trump praised Noem’s work securing the U.S. southern border with Mexico and pointed to what he described as long-term improvements in crime statistics. “They were asking about Kristi Noem yesterday — ‘Sir, are you going to relieve Kristi Noem of her duties?’ — and my answer is no,” he said. “Why would I do that? We now have the strongest border in our country’s history. We have the best crime statistics we’ve seen going back to 1900 — that’s 125 years.”

The president’s remarks were the most direct, public defense of Noem since concerns about her role intensified following two fatal shootings by immigration officers in Minneapolis last month.

Political Pressure and Polling

A small group of Senate Republicans publicly urged Trump to remove Noem over the Minneapolis shootings and other alleged errors in agency management, including questions about disaster-relief funding. In response, DHS and Noem have acknowledged mistakes in their public messaging around the incidents while insisting she retains the president’s confidence.

On Wednesday, DHS circulated polling from Republican-leaning Harper Polling showing strong support for Noem among Trump backers: 81% said they approve of her job performance and 87% backed her strategies and tactics. The White House had shared those same figures earlier in January.

Operational Changes After Minneapolis Shootings

Following the shooting of 37-year-old Alex Pretti in January, Trump reassigned longtime border official Tom Homan to manage an increase in enforcement activity in Minnesota. Homan later announced a drawdown of more than 700 federal agents in the state — roughly a quarter of those deployed there — as the administration adjusted its response.

In a Wednesday-night interview with NBC News, the president said the administration had learned lessons from the Minneapolis incidents: “Maybe we can use a little bit of a softer touch, but you still have to be tough.”

The episode underscores tensions inside the administration over enforcement tactics, public messaging and political fallout as leaders balance law-enforcement priorities with concerns about use of force and community relations.