Trump nominates Sen. Markwayne Mullin to lead DHS after firing Kristi Noem

Mullin, 48 — a citizen of the Cherokee Nation, a former mixed-martial arts fighter, and one of Trump’s most aggressive Senate defenders — would take command of the agency overseeing immigration enforcement. His selection comes as members of federally recognized tribes have reported being detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers, a pattern Mullin has said he would address.

President Donald Trump fired Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem on Thursday and announced plans to nominate Sen. Markwayne Mullin, Republican of Oklahoma, as her replacement, Trump said March 5, 2026. Noem had faced mounting criticism over her leadership of the department. Trump posted on his Truth Social account that “Markwayne will make a spectacular Secretary of Homeland Security.”

Mullin, 48, told reporters at the Capitol on Thursday that he would get DHS “focused on protecting the homeland.”

“No matter if you support me, you don’t support me, I’m going to be laser-focused on getting that done,” Mullin said.

Mullin — a citizen of the Cherokee Nation, a former mixed-martial arts fighter and collegiate wrestler, and one of Trump’s most aggressive Senate defenders — would take command of the agency overseeing immigration enforcement. His selection comes as members of federally recognized tribes have reported being detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers, with some cases documented.

Background

A citizen of the Cherokee Nation, Mullin was running a plumbing company in Oklahoma — known by the brand “The Red Rooter” — when he first ran for the U.S. House in 2012, presenting himself as a political outsider opposed to government regulations. He won the seat representing Oklahoma’s 2nd District, a rural district that has shifted from a Democratic stronghold to a reliably Republican one over the past decade.

In 2022, Mullin emerged from a crowded Republican primary to win Oklahoma’s vacant U.S. Senate seat.

A reputation for combativeness

Mullin has cultivated a reputation in Washington as a combative presence in congressional hearings and a conduit between the White House and Senate Republican leadership. In a 2023 Senate hearing with Teamsters President Sean O’Brien — with whom Mullin had previously exchanged words on social media — Mullin told the union leader to “stand your butt up” and appeared to take off his ring.

“If you want to run your mouth, we can be two consenting adults,” Mullin told O’Brien. “We can finish it here.”

Months later, after the two reconciled, Mullin called O’Brien a “new friend.”

In the Capitol, Mullin is known to walk the halls in a cowboy hat and boots and still leads workout sessions in the House gym. During the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021, Mullin made headlines when he attempted to enter the country from multiple locations and was denied; he said he was trying to help an American family flee.

At the State of the Union last month, Mullin took a swipe at a sign held by Rep. Al Green, Democrat of Texas, that read “Black people aren’t apes” — a reference to a video the president had posted depicting former President Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama as primates.

Tribal reaction

Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr. praised the nomination Thursday.

“It is deeply encouraging to have someone with a keen understanding of federal Indian policy, law and justice elevated to such a critical leadership role within a powerful federal agency,” Hoskin said.

Mullin has supported legislation affecting tribal citizens and advocated for tribal sovereignty, and he stumped for Trump in 2024. As a tribal citizen, Mullin could address recent allegations that ICE officers have targeted members of federally recognized tribes, including some documented detainments and arrests.

Criticism

Mullin initially pledged to serve only three terms in the House, a promise he later broke when he announced plans to run again, saying he “didn’t understand politics” when he made the original pledge.

He has also faced scrutiny over federal pandemic assistance. U.S. Treasury Department data showed four businesses owned by Mullin received a total of between $800,000 and $1.9 million from the Paycheck Protection Program, a federal rescue initiative for small businesses during the coronavirus pandemic. A Mullin spokeswoman said at the time that he was not involved in the day-to-day operations of the companies and referred questions to those companies’ chief financial officer.