President Donald Trump said he was unhappy with a $220 million advertising campaign launched by Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, confirming his dissatisfaction shortly after announcing she would be replaced as the department’s leader.
The advertisement showed Noem riding a horse while urging migrants to self-deport from the United States. Noem had previously said Trump approved the campaign, but the president rejected that claim.
“I wasn’t thrilled with it. I spent less money than that to become president,” Trump told NBC News. “I didn’t know about it.”
Noem’s removal from the position came shortly after a tense Senate Judiciary Committee hearing in which Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) questioned her about the ad campaign, suggesting it appeared to promote her own public profile.
“To me, it puts the president in a terribly awkward spot,” Kennedy said during the hearing.
During the exchange, Noem said Trump had encouraged her to produce an advertisement thanking him for closing the border. “He said, ‘I want the first ad, I want you to thank me. I want you to thank me for closing the border,’” she told senators.
Despite the criticism of the ad campaign, Trump praised Noem’s work on immigration enforcement. “She’s a fine person. She did a good job,” he said.
Trump has nominated Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.) to replace Noem as secretary of the Department of Homeland Security. Mullin said he was “super excited” about the nomination but acknowledged it came as “a little bit of a surprise.”
Trump announced that Noem will instead serve as a special envoy for “The Shield of Americas,” a new security initiative in the Western Hemisphere aimed at combating drug cartels and regional criminal networks.
Mullin must now undergo Senate confirmation before taking over leadership of the department. The president said he expects him to assume the role by the end of the month.
