President Donald Trump is on the verge of firing Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, according to sources.
Advisers familiar with his thinking told the Wall Street Journal the 79-year-old president has been asking aides and congressional Republicans to identify potential replacements for the controversial DHS secretary.
"The final straw for Trump was Noem’s combative hearing Tuesday before the Senate Judiciary Committee, which showed bipartisan frustration with Noem’s leadership," the Journal reported, according to the advisers.
Trump had been annoyed for months at Noem's decision to spend $200 million for an ad campaign where she personally urged undocumented migrants to self-deport, and the president was aggravated that she told senators that he had signed off on the expenditure – which he denied to senators and advisers.
The president has not yet fired any cabinet officials during his second term and has told aides that he doesn't want to make personnel decisions based on Democratic messaging or media pressure.