Sen. Kennedy Sums Up His Grilling of Kristi Noem and Trump's Response as Only He Can

As we reported, Kristi Noem was removed as the head of the Department of Homeland Security this week after her testimony before Congress.

Sen. John Kennedy (R-LA) grilled her on a $220 million ad campaign she approved that led to her removal. She said President Donald Trump had approved it. As Kennedy said, her "version of the truth" and Trump's were "decidedly different."

Noem Saga Grows More Bizarre As IG Accuses DHS of Blocking Investigations, Including One Involving Butler

Kennedy broke it all down on Friday with Fox's Will Cain in his inimitable way. He said he was cheap with the taxpayers' dollars, saying he squeaked when he walked, and that the ads looked more like political ads where she was prominently displayed.

He also confirmed that, shortly after the hearing, he got a call from Trump, who "was mad as a mamma wasp."

He also noted questions about contracts.

🚨 BREAKING: Sen. John Kennedy reveals President Trump was enraged at Kristi Noem pinning the $200M DHS ad buy on him

"To be blunt, she was dead as fried chicken!"

"President Trump was mad as a mama wasp! He said, 'Kennedy, I hope you understand I have nothing to do with this… pic.twitter.com/y5l7qj3VoQ
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) March 6, 2026

"He said, 'Kennedy, I hope you understand that I had nothing to do with this'.
I said I do believe you, Mr. President. He was not happy. It was clear to me after that conversation that the secretary's time at the department was limited. To be blunt, she was dead as fried chicken."

Trump shifted her to "special envoy" for "The Shield of Americas" coalition instead, and announced her replacement would be Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-OK).

: Breaking — Noem Out As Trump Names New Secretary of Homeland Security

Kennedy thanked Noem for the work she had done, including securing the border. But it shows that, unlike Democrats, Trump isn't afraid to address issues to try to make things better in his administration if he believes that there is a concern.

The most important thing is to focus on getting the job done and moving ahead on deportations. Democrats are doing all they can to hamper the DHS from doing this job, still holding the DHS hostage in a shutdown. This, even as we face external threats from places like Iran, with DHS being vitally important for our security. But Democrats don't seem to care about the problems that could result; all they care about is their agenda against Trump. Their actions are going to affect other important areas far more than ICE.

Fortunately, ICE is operating with a fair amount of money they got from the One Big Beautiful bill. We have gotten a secure border under Noem, something we never had under Joe Biden or Barack Obama. We have gotten a lot of people deported. So hopefully, under the next DHS Secretary, we can pick up the pace even more and further ensure our national security. That's one of the main issues that Trump won on, and we need to continue that mission.

Editor’s Note: Do you enjoy RedState’s conservative reporting that takes on the radical left and woke media? Support our work so that we can continue to bring you the truth.

Join RedState VIP and use the promo code FIGHT to get 60% off your VIP membership!