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Trump Addresses Possibility Of Ordering Boots On The Ground In Iran

By
Madeleine Jackson
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1
President Donald J. Trump is presented with a 10th Combat Aviation Brigade challenge coin following an air assault and gun rain demonstration at Fort Drum, New York, on August 13. The demonstration was part of President Trump's visit to the 10th Mountain Division (LI) to sign the National Defense Authorization Act of 2019, which increases the Army's authorized active-duty end strength by 4,000 enabling us to field critical capabilities in support of the National Defense Strategy. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Thomas Scaggs) 180813-A-TZ475-010

President Donald Trump said Monday that the United States is “nowhere near” sending ground troops into Iran to secure enriched uranium reportedly stored at the country’s Isfahan nuclear complex.

In a phone interview with the New York Post, Trump said no decision has been made about deploying American forces on the ground.

“We haven’t made any decision on that. We’re nowhere near it,” Trump told the outlet.

Trump’s comments come after reporters aboard Air Force One asked him Saturday about the possibility of deploying ground troops as part of a potential operation involving Iran.

At the time, Trump indicated such a move would require strong justification.

“There would have to be a very good reason,” he said.

“And I would say if we ever did that, [Iran] would be so decimated they wouldn’t be able to fight at the ground level,” Trump added on Saturday.

The president also addressed Iran’s leadership transition following the death of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. His son, Mojtaba Khamenei, has reportedly succeeded him as Iran’s new supreme leader.

Trump said he was displeased with the development, telling the New York Post he is “not happy” that the younger Khamenei has taken power.

Asked what actions he might take in response to Iran’s new leadership, Trump declined to elaborate.

“Not going to tell you. Not going to tell you. I’m not happy with him,” Trump said.

In a separate interview with ABC News on Sunday, Trump suggested Iran’s new leader would struggle to remain in power without U.S. backing.

“Whoever becomes Iran’s new leader is not going to last long without approval from us,” Trump said.

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Iran Rebukes Trump Demand While Announcing New Supreme Leader

By
Madeleine Jackson
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0
By The White House - https://www.flickr.com/photos/202101414@N05/54581054338/, Public Domain,

Iran has selected a new supreme leader to replace Ayatollah Ali Khamenei following his death in a U.S.-Israeli strike, while rejecting demands from President Donald Trump to have any role in the leadership selection.

Iran’s Assembly of Experts — the powerful body of senior clerics responsible for choosing the country’s supreme leader — announced Sunday that Mojtaba Khamenei, the late leader’s 56-year-old son, will succeed his father.

CNN’s Jeremy Diamond, reporting from Tel Aviv, said the decision came just over a week after the killing of Ali Khamenei during the opening phase of the conflict with Israel.

“This is just in from Iran’s Assembly of Experts,” Diamond said. “This is the body of senior Iranian clerics responsible for electing the next supreme leader, and they have now chosen, just over a week after the assassination of the Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, his son Mojtaba Khamenei as his successor.”

Diamond noted that Mojtaba Khamenei is widely seen as a hardline figure with close ties to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

“He is known for having close ties to the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps, and his selection will largely be viewed as a continuation of his father’s rule,” Diamond said. “This is quite a hard-line stance for the Assembly of Experts to be choosing as the next supreme leader of Iran.”

According to the report, Mojtaba Khamenei was wounded in the same strike that killed his father. The attack also killed his wife.

His appointment comes amid escalating tensions with the United States and Israel, both of which have sharply criticized Iran’s leadership.

President Trump had previously dismissed the possibility of Mojtaba Khamenei becoming supreme leader, calling him a “lightweight” in an interview with Axios and saying such a choice would be unacceptable.

Iranian officials, however, have firmly rejected any suggestion that Washington could influence the selection.

Speaking Sunday on NBC News’ Meet the Press, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said the choice of supreme leader is strictly an internal matter for Iran.

When asked whether Iran would allow Trump any role in choosing the country’s next leader, Araghchi responded bluntly.

“We allow nobody to interfere in our domestic affairs,” he said. “This is up to the Iranian people to elect their new leader. They have already elected the Assembly of Experts, and the Assembly of Experts will do the job. It is only the business of the Iranian people and nobody else’s business.”

Araghchi also pushed back on Trump’s earlier demand for Iran’s “unconditional surrender.”

“This is what he asked the previous time in June, when Israel started to attack us,” Araghchi said. “President Trump used the same phrase, ‘unconditional surrender.’ That was the tweet he made. And that didn’t happen.”

“We resisted, and after 12 days Israelis asked for an unconditional ceasefire,” he continued. “So we never give up, we never surrender, and we will continue to resist as long as it takes. We are defending our territory, our people, and our dignity. And our dignity is not for sale.”

Even as Iran moves forward with its new leadership, Israeli officials have issued stark warnings that the country’s next leader will also become a target.

Days before the leadership announcement, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz warned that anyone appointed to lead Iran’s ruling regime could face assassination if they continue policies hostile to Israel and its allies.

“Every leader appointed by the Iranian terror regime to continue and lead the plan to destroy Israel, to threaten the United States and the free world and the countries of the region, and to suppress the Iranian people will be an unequivocal target for elimination,” Katz wrote in a post on X.

“It does not matter what his name is or the place where he hides,” he added.

Katz said he and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have instructed the Israel Defense Forces to prepare for such action as part of Israel’s ongoing military campaign against Iran, known as Operation Lion’s Roar.

“The Prime Minister and I have instructed the IDF to prepare and act by all means to carry out the mission as an integral part of the objectives of Operation Lion’s Roar,” Katz said.

He added that Israel will continue coordinating with the United States to weaken the Iranian regime and create conditions that could lead to political change inside the country.

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Republican Senator Calls For Stephen Miller To Be Removed From Trump Inner Circle

By
Madeleine Jackson
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President Donald Trump signs Executive Orders, Thursday, April 17, 2025, in the Oval Office. (Official White House Photo by Molly Riley)

Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) said Sunday that White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller should be removed from President Donald Trump’s inner circle, arguing the longtime adviser wields too much influence over administration policy and has contributed to repeated controversies.

Speaking on CNN’s State of the Union, Tillis told host Jake Tapper that Miller has had an “outsized influence” on the administration and is “out of his depth” in his current role.

When asked directly whether Miller should be relieved of his duties, Tillis replied, “Oh, of course I do.”

“Not only does Stephen really want to just paint a picture. He’s not worried about substance. He’s more worried about form,” Tillis said. “But I also think that he has an outsized influence over the operations of the Cabinet. And I believe we have got qualified Cabinet members there that sometimes are doing less than what they want to because of his direction and his outsized influence.”

Miller, one of Trump’s closest advisers since the president’s first campaign, has long been a key architect of the administration’s hardline immigration policies. He currently serves as deputy chief of staff and has played a central role shaping the White House’s approach to border enforcement and deportation initiatives.

Tillis’s remarks come amid broader scrutiny of the administration’s immigration enforcement strategy and leadership at the Department of Homeland Security. The criticism follows a series of controversies, including the fatal shootings of two U.S. citizens by federal immigration agents in Minneapolis earlier this year.

Tillis previously criticized Miller and then–Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem after both officials suggested Good and Pretti were acting unlawfully before they were killed, assertions that drew backlash from lawmakers and civil liberties advocates. The North Carolina Republican has called for a thorough investigation into the incidents and greater accountability within DHS.

The comments also come as the administration undergoes leadership changes at the department. Trump recently removed Noem from her post as homeland security secretary following mounting criticism of her tenure and controversies surrounding immigration enforcement operations.

Tillis, who has announced he will not seek reelection, has been among the more vocal Republican critics of the administration’s handling of the Minneapolis incidents and broader immigration enforcement policies. On Sunday, he said the administration should rely more heavily on Cabinet officials rather than informal influence from White House advisers.

“He’s a big problem in this administration,” Tillis said of Miller. “He has been from the beginning.”

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Trump Attends Dignified Transfer of Six US Service Members Killed By Iran

By
Madeleine Jackson
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KENTUCKY AIR NATIONAL GUARD BASE, LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Air Force Two taxies into the Kentucky Air National Guard Base in Louisville, Ky., on Feb 11, 2011. The base frequently supports visits by the president and vice president when they travel to Louisville. Vice President Joe Biden was in town to speak at the University of Louisville. (U.S. Air Force by Maj. Dale Greer)

On Saturday, President Donald Trump attended the dignified transfer of six American service members killed so far by Iran in Operation Epic Fury.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt first announced the news during her Wednesday press briefing

“President Trump intends to attend the dignified transfer of these American heroes to stand in grief alongside their families,” she said during the White House press briefing. 

Four of the six have been identified: Capt. Cody A. Khork, 35, of Winter Haven, Florida; Sgt. 1st Class Noah L. Tietjens, 42, of Bellevue, Nebraska; Sgt. 1st Class Nicole M. Amor, 39, of White Bear Lake, Minnesota; and Sgt. Declan J. Coady, 20, of West Des Moines, Iowa. All four died Saturday in Kuwait from an Iranian drone attack.

The service members, who were killed in a make-shift office space at a civilian port in Kuwait, will be transported to the United States at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware.

Sean Parnell, the Pentagon’s chief spokesperson, described the site as a “secure facility fortified with 6-foot walls,” in a Tuesday post on social platform X.

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Trump Cuts Tucker Carlson Loose From Political Movement

By
Madeleine Jackson
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0
Photo via Gage Skidmore Flickr

President Donald Trump said Thursday that Tucker Carlson is no longer part of the MAGA movement, declaring in an interview that the former Fox News host “has lost his way.”

“Tucker has lost his way,” Trump told ABC News’ Jonathan Karl. “I knew that a long time ago, and he’s not MAGA. MAGA is saving our country. MAGA is making our country great again. MAGA is America first, and Tucker is none of those things. And Tucker is really not smart enough to understand that.”

Trump’s comments come after Carlson sharply criticized the administration over recent U.S. strikes on Iran. Carlson called the military action “absolutely disgusting and evil.” He has also criticized the Trump administration on other issues, including the Epstein files and the war in Ukraine.

In the same interview, Trump defended the Iran operation and described it as a success. The president gave multiple interviews Thursday in which he praised the strikes and insisted that Americans support the decision, saying people are “loving it,” despite polls suggesting a more divided public response.

“They are decimated for a 10-year period before they could build it back,” Trump said of Iran.

Carlson, meanwhile, warned that the decision to strike Iran could reshape Trump’s political movement. In an interview with Karl, he said the move would “shuffle the deck in a profound way” politically.

Trump previously dismissed Carlson’s criticism of the strikes, saying it had no impact on him. Carlson reportedly visited the White House multiple times last month to lobby against the attack.

Despite the public criticism, Carlson said he still supports Trump.

Speaking to Status reporter Oliver Darcy on Thursday, the former Fox News host expressed continued loyalty to the president even after Trump publicly distanced himself from him.

“There are times I get annoyed with Trump, right now definitely included,” Carlson said, adding, “but I’ll always love him no matter what he says about me.”

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Man Accused Of Plotting Trump Assassination Claims He Was Pressured By Iran

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    2
    Image via Gage Skidmore Flickr

    A Pakistani businessman accused of attempting to hire hit men to assassinate political figures — including President Donald Trump — told jurors in a New York courtroom that he was forced into the plot by Iran’s powerful paramilitary Revolutionary Guard.

    Asif Merchant, 47, testified Wednesday that Trump was not the only potential target in the alleged 2024 assassination scheme. According to Merchant, the list of possible victims also included then-President Joe Biden and former presidential candidate and U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley.

    Merchant told jurors he acted under pressure from an Iranian intelligence handler who threatened his relatives living in Iran.

    “My family was under threat, and I had to do this,” Merchant testified through an Urdu interpreter. “I was not wanting to do this so willingly.”

    He said he believed he would be arrested before anyone was harmed and planned to cooperate with U.S. authorities afterward in hopes of receiving leniency — and potentially a green card.

    Alleged plot uncovered by FBI

    Federal prosecutors say Merchant was arrested in July 2024 after outlining a murder-for-hire scheme to a man who was actually an informant working with the FBI. According to court filings, Merchant sketched out a plan on a napkin during a recorded meeting and later attempted to hire two men — who turned out to be undercover federal agents — to carry out the killing.

    He allegedly provided the agents with $5,000 as an initial payment while discussing possible methods for killing a political target.

    Authorities arrested Merchant in Texas as he prepared to leave the United States, before any attack could be carried out.

    Merchant testified that his handler initially asked him to recruit people in the United States willing to assist Iran. The assignment later escalated to finding someone capable of organizing protests, committing theft, laundering money and “maybe have somebody murdered.”

    “He did not tell me exactly who it is, but he told me — he named three people: Donald Trump, Joe Biden and Nikki Haley,” Merchant said in court.

    Prosecutors, however, argue that Merchant continued working on the plan even after U.S. immigration officials questioned him at Houston’s airport in April 2024 about his travel to Iran. Investigators say he researched Trump rally locations, drafted plans for a shooting at a political event and gathered money to pay the supposed hit men.

    In court filings, prosecutors also noted that Merchant never contacted law enforcement before his arrest and did not initially tell FBI agents that he had been acting under duress.

    If convicted, Merchant faces a maximum sentence of life in prison.

    Part of broader Iran-linked threats

    The case is one of several alleged plots tied to Iran targeting former Trump administration officials in the years following the 2020 U.S. drone strike that killed Iranian General Qassem Soleimani. U.S. officials say Iran has sought revenge for the strike by attempting to target Trump and other senior American figures.

    Another Justice Department case filed in 2024 accused an Afghan national, Farhad Shakeri, of working with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps to organize a separate murder-for-hire scheme aimed at Trump and other targets.

    The Iranian government has repeatedly denied involvement in assassination plots against U.S. leaders.

    Authorities have also emphasized that other attempts on Trump’s life during the 2024 campaign — including the shooting at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania — were not connected to Iran and were carried out by individuals acting alone.

    Trial unfolds amid rising tensions

    Merchant’s trial comes during a period of heightened conflict between the United States and Iran. The proceedings are unfolding as a widening regional war involving Iran continues, with U.S. prosecutors arguing that the alleged plot reflects Iran’s willingness to conduct covert operations on American soil.

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    Paxton Offers Conditions For Potential Exit From Texas Senate Race 

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    0

    Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) said Thursday he would consider dropping out of the closely watched Republican Senate primary against Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) if Senate Republicans meet several conditions, a statement that comes as President Donald Trump prepares to weigh in on the race.

    Paxton said he would consider exiting the contest if Senate leadership agreed to eliminate the filibuster — the 60-vote threshold typically required to advance most legislation in the upper chamber — and pass a bill requiring voters to show proof of citizenship to register to vote.

    The legislation, known as the SAVE America Act, has already passed the House but remains stalled in the Senate, where Republicans lack the 60 votes needed to overcome a filibuster.

    Paxton framed his proposal as part of a broader effort to advance Trump’s agenda in Washington.

    “John Cornyn is a coward who has refused to support abolishing the filibuster to pass this bill. Now, Fake News reporters and the establishment are trying to destroy me with misinformation,” Paxton wrote Thursday on the social media platform X.

    “The truth is clear: No one has been more loyal to Donald Trump than me—fighting the stolen 2020 election, being in Mar-a-Lago when he announced his 2024 campaign, and standing with him in NY in the face of lawfare,” he added. “For the good of our country and for the good of passing President Trump’s agenda, I am determined to help him get this done.”

    Paxton’s comments come a day after Trump said he plans to issue an endorsement in the Texas Senate runoff and urged whichever candidate he does not back to exit the race to unify the party.

    In a lengthy post on Truth Social, Trump said the GOP must quickly coalesce around a nominee ahead of the general election.

    “The Texas Republican Senate Primary has been very interesting to watch,” Trump wrote.

    “The Texas Republican Senate Primary cannot, for the good of the Party, and our Country, itself, be allowed to go on any longer,” he continued. “IT MUST STOP NOW! We have an easy to beat, Radical Left Opponent, and we have to TOTALLY FOCUS on putting him away, quickly and decisively! Both John [Cornyn] and Ken [Paxton] ran great races, but not good enough. Now, this one, must be PERFECT!”

    The Republican primary advanced to a runoff earlier this week after neither Paxton nor Cornyn secured a majority of the vote. The runoff election is scheduled for May 26.

    Cornyn has expressed some openness to changes to Senate filibuster rules but has warned that eliminating the 60-vote threshold could backfire if Democrats regain control of the chamber.

    The incumbent senator has also supported the SAVE America Act, which would require voters to show proof of citizenship to register to vote and present photo identification at the polls.

    Some Republicans have floated adopting a “talking filibuster,” which would require senators opposing a bill to hold the floor continuously to block passage. Under that proposal, legislation could ultimately pass with 51 votes once opponents stop speaking. However, Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) has expressed skepticism about implementing such a change.

    Republican leadership has also reportedly urged Trump to endorse Cornyn in hopes of avoiding a prolonged and potentially divisive primary fight.

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    Trump Fires DHS Sec. Kristi Noem

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    2
    By The White House - https://www.flickr.com/photos/202101414@N05/54581054338/, Public Domain,

    On Thursday, President Trump announced he has reassigned Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and will replace her with Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla). 

    “I am pleased to announce that the Highly Respected United States Senator from the Great State of Oklahoma, Markwayne Mullin, will become the United States Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS), effective March 31, 2026,” he announced on Truth Social.

    Trump thanked Noem for her service, stating the former South Dakota senator “has served us well.” 

    Noem, 54, will likely be at least temporarily replaced by Deputy Secretary Troy Edgar, a Navy veteran and former mayor of Los Alamitos, California, in the line of succession for the agency.

    Trump said in a Truth Social post that he was moving Kristi Noem from DHS and she “will be moving to be Special Envoy for The Shield of the Americas, our new Security Initiative in the Western Hemisphere we are announcing on Saturday in Doral, Florida.”

    House before Trump officially fired Noem, Punchbowl News reported Trump had privately asked Republican lawmakers whether he should fire Noem following a series of bruising congressional hearings this week.

    The conversations reportedly took place after Noem testified before the Senate and House Judiciary Committees, where she faced pointed questioning over the administration’s immigration crackdown and a controversial government-funded advertising campaign tied to the Department of Homeland Security.

    Trump was said to be particularly irritated by Noem’s exchange with Senator John Kennedy (R-LA). During the hearing, Kennedy pressed the DHS secretary on whether the president had personally approved a $220 million advertising campaign that prominently featured Noem. President Donald Trump has reportedly floated Senator Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) as a possible replacement for Noem.

    Kennedy repeatedly asked whether Trump had signed off on the effort and warned that the situation could politically backfire on the president. He cautioned that the campaign risked putting Trump “in a terribly awkward spot.”

    The Louisiana Republican also questioned why the advertising contract was awarded to a firm run by the husband of Noem’s former DHS spokesperson, Tricia McLaughlin, raising concerns about potential conflicts of interest.

    This is a breaking news story. Please check back for updates.

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    Congressional Investigators Issue Subpoena To Pam Bondi Over Epstein Files

    By
    Patrick Houck
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    0

    The House Committee on Oversight and Accountability has issued a subpoena to Attorney General Pam Bondi, demanding she testify before lawmakers regarding the investigation of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

    The subpoena intensifies the growing conflict between Congress and the Justice Department over transparency and accountability.

    Lawmakers say Bondi’s testimony is necessary to comprehensively review files related to the deceased sex trafficker. The resolution to subpoena Bondi was introduced by Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) and passed in a bipartisan 24-19 vote.

    The Hill continues:

    All Democrats present for the committee hearing voted in favor, with Mace and GOP Reps. Lauren Boebert (Colo.), Tim Burchett (Tenn.), Michael Cloud (Texas) and Scott Perry (Pa.) joining their colleagues from across the aisle. 

    The subpoena of Bondi would bring the highest-level sitting official before the House panel as it pushes ahead with its review of the files related to deceased sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. 

    Bondi has faced steady criticism over her handling of the files throughout her tenure as attorney general, cries that have only grown louder as the Justice Department has been accused of failing to release all the files and faced questions about how it has handled redactions.

    The Justice Department did not immediately respond to request for comment.

    Questions Over Missing Records

    The demand comes after a CBS News report on Tuesday stating that the Justice Department had started removing documents:

    After removing tens of thousands of files, the Department of Justice currently makes public about 2.7 million pages of documents related to Jeffrey Epstein, a CBS News analysis found, a number below the Department’s initial claim of 3 million, and a total that continues to fluctuate.

    The Justice Department initially said that its release, made in response to a law passed by Congress compelling the agency to disclose nearly all files related to Epstein, comprised more than 3 million pages. Combined with previously released materials, the Department put the total at 3.5 million pages.

    And now, in part in response to widespread criticism and concern from survivors and their attorneys that the files contain nearly 100 survivors’ personal information and photos, the DOJ has scrambled to remove documents. A CBS News analysis found that as of late February, the Justice Department has taken down more than 47,000 files comprising about 65,500 pages. Links to those files now return a “page not found” error on the department’s website.

    Some of those removed documents contained explicit images or survivor information — including one document with unredacted photos of 21 survivors along with most of their birthdates. But the reasons for other files’ removal is unclear, such as a call log with all names redacted and images of Epstein’s jail bunk where investigators say he hanged himself. The Justice Department appears to be putting some removed files back up.

    Bondi Faces Questions

    Bondi has already faced intense questioning from lawmakers during recent oversight hearings about the department’s handling of the Epstein document releases.

    During those hearings, members of Congress pressed the attorney general about:

    • Extensive redactions
    • Missing records
    • Whether additional investigations tied to Epstein could still occur

    Epstein, a financier with connections to powerful political and business figures, was arrested in 2019 on federal sex trafficking charges involving underage girls.

    He died in federal custody later that year while awaiting trial.

    His associate Ghislaine Maxwell was later convicted of sex trafficking and is currently serving a federal prison sentence.

    This is a breaking news story. Please check back for updates.

    READ NEXT: Top Newspaper’s Admission Sends Shockwaves Through Gun Rights Community

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    Report: Trump Floats Firing Kristi Noem

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    1
    President Donald Trump gestures to the crowd after delivering remarks at the House GOP Member Retreat, Tuesday, January 6, 2026, at the Donald J. Trump- John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. (Official White House Photo by Daniel Torok)

    President Donald Trump has privately asked Republican lawmakers whether he should fire Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem following a series of bruising congressional hearings this week, according to multiple GOP figures who spoke with Punchbowl News.

    The conversations reportedly took place after Noem testified before the Senate and House Judiciary Committees, where she faced pointed questioning over the administration’s immigration crackdown and a controversial government-funded advertising campaign tied to the Department of Homeland Security.

    Trump was said to be particularly irritated by Noem’s exchange with Senator John Kennedy (R-LA). During the hearing, Kennedy pressed the DHS secretary on whether the president had personally approved a $220 million advertising campaign that prominently featured Noem. President Donald Trump has reportedly floated Senator Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) as a possible replacement for Noem.

    Kennedy repeatedly asked whether Trump had signed off on the effort and warned that the situation could politically backfire on the president. He cautioned that the campaign risked putting Trump “in a terribly awkward spot.”

    The Louisiana Republican also questioned why the advertising contract was awarded to a firm run by the husband of Noem’s former DHS spokesperson, Tricia McLaughlin, raising concerns about potential conflicts of interest.

    Noem also drew criticism from Senator Thom Tillis (R-NC), who has publicly called for her resignation and threatened to slow Senate business until his questions about the department are answered.

    Meanwhile, House Democrats pressed Noem about her relationship with senior adviser Corey Lewandowski, Trump’s former campaign manager. Noem declined to engage with the line of questioning, dismissing the allegations as “tabloid garbage.”

    The controversy has intensified speculation that Noem’s position in the administration may be increasingly precarious. Rumors about tension between Trump and Noem have circulated in Washington for weeks, fueled by concerns among some Republicans about the rollout of the DHS advertising campaign and the political scrutiny it has attracted.

    Some GOP lawmakers reportedly worry that the issue has become an unnecessary distraction for the administration, particularly as Republicans attempt to keep focus on border enforcement and immigration policy.

    At the same time, Republicans are divided over whether removing Noem would help resolve the situation. Several lawmakers told Punchbowl that forcing her out during an ongoing funding standoff involving DHS could further complicate matters.

    Others have cautioned that replacing her could trigger a contentious Senate confirmation battle for any successor — a prospect that could prolong the political turmoil surrounding the department.

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