CNN Finds Americans Agree With Trump On This Decision
The sudden removal of Kristi Noem from her position as Secretary of Homeland Security appears to have aligned with public opinion, according to newly cited polling data discussed by CNN senior data analyst Harry Enten.
Speaking on-air Friday, Enten pointed to survey results showing that a majority of Americans supported removing Noem from the role before President Donald Trump announced she would step down. According to a Quinnipiac University poll conducted in February, 58 percent of Americans said they wanted Noem removed as DHS secretary. Among independent voters, that number climbed even higher to 62 percent.
Enten argued that the numbers suggest Trump’s decision to replace Noem with Republican Oklahoma Senator Markwayne Mullin—who is scheduled to assume the role on March 31—may have been politically advantageous.
“She was a political nightmare for the president of the United States,” Enten said while reviewing the polling data. “Quinnipiac University found the majority of Americans—58 percent—wanted her gone. Among independents, more than three in five wanted her kicked to the curb.”
Noem’s tenure at DHS had been marked by persistently negative approval ratings, according to Enten, who noted that every poll conducted during Trump’s second term showed her underwater with voters.
The situation also appeared to affect public perceptions of Trump’s handling of immigration, one of the central issues that helped propel him to victory in the 2024 presidential election. At the beginning of his second term in January 2025, Trump held a positive net approval rating of +7 points on immigration policy. By March 2026, that rating had fallen to -17 points.
Among independent voters, the drop was even more dramatic. Enten said Trump’s net approval on immigration among independents went from +3 points to -30 points during the same period.
“That’s a massive swing on a key issue that independents had trusted Donald Trump on,” Enten said during the segment.
Several controversies contributed to the mounting pressure around Noem’s leadership. One of the most widely scrutinized incidents involved her handling of a January shooting in Minneapolis in which Alex Pretti was killed. Noem faced criticism after labeling the incident “an act of domestic terrorism,” a characterization that drew pushback from critics and lawmakers.
Tensions escalated further during a Senate hearing earlier this week when Noem testified that Trump had approved a $220 million government advertising campaign connected to DHS. According to reports, Trump later told Republican Senator John Kennedy that he had not authorized the campaign and was unaware of it. Fox News correspondent Bill Melugin reported that the discrepancy angered the president and contributed to the decision to remove her.
Behind the scenes, internal management issues were also reportedly causing friction within the department. According to reporting by The Wall Street Journal, Noem and senior adviser Corey Lewandowski had frequently dismissed staff members and required some employees to take polygraph tests amid concerns about leaks and internal distrust.
The same report noted that Lewandowski had dismissed a U.S. Coast Guard pilot after Noem’s blanket was accidentally left on a private jet, an incident that raised eyebrows within the department.
Rumors of a personal relationship between Noem and Lewandowski had circulated in political circles for some time. According to the Journal, those rumors reportedly led Trump to reject Lewandowski’s request to become Noem’s chief of staff. Trump was asked about the speculation earlier this year and said he was unaware of the reports but would look into them.
Despite her departure from DHS, Noem is expected to remain involved in the administration. Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced she will transition into a new role as special envoy for an initiative known as The Shield of the Americas.