What to know about Kristi Noem, Trump's pick for Homeland Security secretary

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Donald Trump has chosen Kristi Noem, the Governor of South Dakota, to lead the Department of Homeland Security. This major government agency will play a crucial role in his promise to strengthen border security and implement a large-scale deportation effort.

Here are five key points to understand about Noem:

The 52-year-old grew up on a ranch and farm just outside of Watertown, South Dakota, where she was born. Her father passed away at the age of 49 due to an accident involving a grain bin.

“It was incredibly hard for our whole family when Dad died,” she shared in a 2022 conversation with the Christian Broadcasting Network. “He was my closest friend, the person I looked up to the most. I really valued his opinion and had always envisioned my life around growing up to work alongside him and be involved in business together.”

Before successfully winning a seat in the South Dakota House of Representatives in 2006, she participated in several family-owned businesses. In 2010, she secured the at-large House seat for the state, and in 2018, she made history by becoming the first woman to be elected as governor of South Dakota. She was re-elected in 2022.

Once she took office as governor, Noem began collaborating closely with Corey Lewandowski, who managed Trump's campaign in 2016. When the pandemic hit, she gained significant attention among conservatives for pushing back against many government measures aimed at controlling the spread of the virus. Since then, she has maintained a consistent presence within Trump's political sphere and was even regarded as a potential vice-presidential candidate at one time.

She loves hunting pheasants and organizes the annual governor's hunting event. Additionally, she is a skilled horseback rider.

This year, she faced intense criticism for a story in her book where she described the act of killing her 14-month-old wirehaired pointer, Cricket.

Cricket was Noem's hunting dog, but she had a lot of energy. To try to soothe her, Noem decided to bring Cricket along on a hunting expedition with some more experienced dogs.

It didn’t go as planned, and while driving back home, Noem shared that she had stopped to chat with a family when Cricket jumped out of her truck and started chasing and killing some of their chickens. She also mentioned that the dog suddenly turned and tried to bite her.

"In that instant," Noem reflected, "I understood that I needed to let her go." She took Cricket to a gravel pit and ended her life.

Critics harshly attacked her, but she justified killing Cricket as a demonstration of her readiness to make difficult decisions.

She takes a strong stance on immigration.

Noem has been a strong supporter of Trump, particularly in endorsing his firm stance on immigration.

“President Trump will prioritize the deportation of the most dangerous undocumented immigrants—those who have committed murder, sexual assault, and other serious crimes that Harris and Biden have allowed into the nation. They have no right to be here, and we will ensure they are not allowed to return,” Noem stated in a post on X following Trump's election.

Noem joined several other Republican governors in sending troops to Texas to support Operation Lone Star, an initiative aimed at reducing the flow of migrants.

Noem faced especially strong backlash for her choice since she financed a large portion of the deployment expenses with a $1 million contribution from a billionaire in Tennessee known for frequently supporting Republican causes.

Noem referred to the U.S.-Mexico border as a “war zone” when she deployed troops to the area, claiming they would be at the forefront of combating drug smuggling and human trafficking. However, documentation from the Guard presented a more complex view of their actual mission.

Tense relationships with tribes

In 2019, the Oglala Sioux informed her that she was not welcome on the Pine Ridge reservation due to her involvement in promoting a state law aimed at restricting protests like those that occurred in North Dakota against the Dakota Access oil pipeline.

"I want to let you know that you are not invited to come to our lands," Oglala Sioux President Julian Bear Runner stated in a letter to Noem. He warned her that if she disregarded this request, "we will have no option but to expel you" from the reservation.

The governor has also had disputes with the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe regarding fireworks shows on the Fourth of July at Mount Rushmore. The tribe is against these displays, seeing them as a disrespectful use of land that was taken from them by force many years ago.

Daughter's license as a property appraiser

In 2020, the South Dakota agency in charge of granting licenses to real estate appraisers rejected the application submitted by Noem's daughter.

A few days later, Noem called the state employee who managed the agency, along with the woman's immediate boss and the state labor secretary, to join her in a meeting with her daughter. Four months after that meeting, Noem's daughter received her certification.

Lawmakers in South Dakota later agreed unanimously on a report that determined Noem's daughter received special treatment during her application for the license.

A report by the Associated Press about Noem's involvement in her daughter's licensing process triggered the investigation. The governor has claimed that her daughter did not receive any special advantages.

This report also includes contributions from Stephen Groves, a journalist with the Associated Press.