Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem seems to know her days in the Trump administration are numbered, according to multiple sources.
The White House says she's not going anywhere, but 17 sources told Politico that administration officials and lawmakers are discussing possible successors, and Noem herself is said to be looking for a graceful exit.
“I’m hearing from people that she’s about to leave,” said one person close to the administration, who added that Noem would not be fired but instead would leave her post for "another opportunity."
Noem's frequent presence on television has annoyed some in Trump's orbit, who think she's too focused on her own presidential ambitions, and an administration official told Politico there's "definitely a belief" that she would leave DHS to begin her 2028 campaign.
“She’s not doing this so she can get a cushy job on Fox News when she leaves,” said the administration official. “Her best shot is to get out on the campaign trail now, start lining up endorsements from governors and then use that to negotiate a role in the next administration — secretary of state, vice president.”
Fox News contributor and former GOP congressman Jason Chaffetz and Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin, whose term ends next month, have been discussed within the administration as potential Noem successors, according to one administration official and two sources close to the administration.
Noem's leadership has been a source of frustration in the administration, especially her management of billions of dollars in new funding handed to DHS by congressional Republicans, and the outsize role of her lieutenant Corey Lewandowski has also sparked concerns.
“There’s definitely some fishy stuff going on with money,” said an administration official. “Whether or not it’s true — even just a rumor — optics are everything.”
Another concern has been her ongoing rivalry with border czar Tom Homan over the administration's mass deportation campaign, with multiple sources saying they each want to be perceived as leading those efforts.
“Her clashes with Tom Homan are a problem," said the first person close to the administration. "The rivalry, neither wanting to be subordinate to the other. Their insistence on independence and on being the one running the show — or at least the one perceived to be running the show.”
Chaffetz frequently engaged with DHS as chair of the House Oversight Committee, and he has had frequent discussions with senior administration officials about carrying out the president's agenda, according to a source close to the administration.
“The policy implementation, numbers and communications aren’t where they should be at DHS," that person said. "He knows that and has vast policy and oversight experience, not only on the central issue of immigration enforcement but also the complicated component agencies within the department. He covers a lot of bases for President Trump and senior officials. He enjoys close relationships with lawmakers on both sides of the Hill and is uniquely confirmable. I think that’s why it makes a lot of sense that his name keeps popping up in discussions about filling a post, particularly DHS.”
Youngkin has met with Trump immigration officials, according to a former ICE official, and he publicly praised Trump on campaign call before his lieutenant governor, Winsome Earl-Sears, was defeated in a landslide, although a spokesman for the governor did not respond for a request for comment on Politico's report.
“I know that you will always put America first,” Youngkin said on the call last month, and Trump called him "one of the greatest governors in our country.”