Political analysts were blown away on Thursday after Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem sat down for what seemed like a softball interview with Fox News host Sean Hannity.
Noem joined Hannity at a time when President Donald Trump's immigration forces were receiving significant criticism for the way they had conducted their operations in Minneapolis. Last weekend, a swarm of immigration agents killed 37-year-old ICU nurse Alex Pretti during a protest, an event that sparked bipartisan outrage toward the Trump administration. It was the second high-profile killing in Minneapolis in January. The other one involved Renee Good, 37, a mother who was killed by ICE agent Jonathan Ross just a few blocks from her home.
Then administration officials like Noem and White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller smeared Pretti by calling him a "domestic terrorist" and claiming he brandished a weapon at immigration officers, two claims that the administration has since distanced itself from.
Noem attempted to clean up her part of the mess on Hannity's show on Thursday, but it appears she may have made it worse.
Hannity asked Noem about why she thought it was appropriate to use the term "domestic terrorist."
"We're continuing to gather information, and the FBI leading this investigation is important to make sure that we talk about both of these situations appropriately," Noem said.
Analysts were blown away by Noem's comments and shared their reactions on social media.
"She is just an unbelievable piece of crap," political commentary account Spiro's Ghost posted on X.
"So @Sec_Noem, you publicly call the dead protester a “domestic terrorist” right away, and THEN you investigate to see if the person really was a domestic terrorist? That’s how you do things? That’s really ass-backwards," former Republican congressman Joe Walsh posted on X.
"Her answer is literally that she uses the term 'domestic terrorism' until they collect information that might indicate otherwise," Jonah Goldberg, editor-in-chief of The Dispatch, posted on X.
"Noem believes it because she's a strung-out paranoid," political commentator Keith Olbermann posted on X.
Hannity: Why do you believe the term domestic terrorism is appropriate? You used it in both cases.
Noem: We are continuing to gather information and the FBI leading this investigation is important to make sure that we talk about both of these situations appropriately pic.twitter.com/B7kGoUDldw
— Acyn (@Acyn) January 30, 2026