President Donald Trump‘s pick for secretary of Homeland Security, Kristi Noem, appears to be taking the insults in stride.
“Every day I wake up and there’s new criticisms. It’s something different every single day, so I try not to pay attention to the noise,” Noem recently said during an interview with Jesse Watters on Fox News after conservative pundit Megyn Kelly tore into her for her “cosplay” as a top MAGA official.
“I will tell you that I oversee 26 different components of the Department of Homeland Security, and they are so proud of the fact that I’m willing to wear an ICE hat, that I’m willing to wear an HSI vest, that I’m willing to go into there and wear something and be proud of them and the work that they do. They didn’t have that with the last leadership team,” she said.
The Senate confirmed Noem as homeland security secretary in January, putting the former South Dakota governor in charge of a sprawling agency that is essential to national security and Trump’s plans to clamp down on illegal immigration.
Since then, taxpayers have footed the bills to the tune of hundreds of millions of dollars for her to appear in ads and travel the country — and globe — in what Kelly called “ridiculous” photo ops.
“Just stop trying to glamorize the mission and put yourself in the middle of it as you cosplay ICE agent, which you’re not. I can’t stand these photo ops, you guys. I think they diminish ICE. They diminish DHS, CPB. She’s not an agent!”, Kelly said on “The Megyn Kelly Show”. “She is an administrative policy person appointed by Trump because she was very loyal to him. Fine, but stop with the glam.”
Noem frequently posts photos and videos of herself dressed in law enforcement attire, often with her hair and makeup done. She was previously criticized for wearing a $60,000 Rolex watch during her recent visit to the high-security El Salvador prison.
Per The Wall Street Journal, “Under her watch, the department has allotted $200 million to air an ad campaign featuring Noem warning immigrants in the country illegally — in English — to “leave now.” The ad, which aired on national networks and cable, has cost an estimated $9 million so far, according to data from AdImpact.”
The homeland security secretary oversees U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Citizenship and Immigration Services. Beyond those agencies, the department is also responsible for securing airline transportation, protecting dignitaries, responding to natural disasters and more.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.