6 Things to Know About Kristi Noem, Trump’s Nominee for Homeland Security Secretary

President-elect Donald Trump has nominated South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem to lead the Department of Homeland Security.

If confirmed by the Senate, Noem stands to play a pivotal part in Trump’s border security overhaul, which he has said will include “the largest deportation operation” in American history.

“I am honored and humbled that President Donald J. Trump has selected me to be the Secretary of Homeland Security,” Noem said in an X post following the president-elect’s announcement on Nov. 12.

“I look forward to working with Border Czar Tom Homan to make America SAFE again. With Donald Trump, we will secure the border and restore safety to American communities so families will again have the opportunity to pursue the American Dream.”

Besides border security, the Department of Homeland Security encompasses several agencies, including the Secret Service, the U.S. Coast Guard, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency.

Here are five things to know about the Republican governor.

A Lifelong Rancher

Noem, 52, is a native of Watertown, South Dakota, and grew up on a ranch and farm. After her father’s untimely death in a farming accident, she took over the family business.

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The mother of three was first elected to the South Dakota House of Representatives in 2006. She held the seat for two terms before clinching South Dakota’s at-large seat in the U.S. House in 2010.

Noem served four terms as a member of Congress until her successful bid to become South Dakota’s first female governor in 2018. She won a second term in 2022 after fending off a primary challenge from Republican state Rep. Steven Haugaard and handily defeating Democratic state Rep. Jamie Smith in the general election.

Proponent of Limited Government

Noem rose to national prominence among Republicans when she elected to keep businesses in her state open during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Eschewing the lockdowns and mandates embraced by other governors, she advocated for limited government intervention.

“Conservatives see that liberals are trying to use this crisis to expand the size and scope of government at every level,” she said in an August 2021 statement.

“On everything from mandates to spending, the left wants more government. Conservatives must stand on principle and oppose big government in all its forms.”

That same year, Noem sued the Biden administration over its cancellation of the annual Fourth of July fireworks celebration at Mount Rushmore.

Defender of Gun Rights

As an avid hunter, Noem is a staunch supporter of the Second Amendment right to bear arms and has taken executive action to protect gun rights as governor.

In 2023, she signed an executive order blocking state agencies from contracting with large banks that discriminate against firearms-related industries.

Earlier this year, Noem also signed two bills into law prohibiting homeowners’ associations from placing restrictions on firearms and ammunition and extending the renewal period for an enhanced permit to carry a concealed pistol.

She enjoys hosting the Governor’s Invitational Pheasant Hunt each year and last year received the National Rifle Association’s Distinguished Hunters Leadership Award.

Pro-Life Advocate

Noem has also been outspoken about her pro-life stance on abortion.

As a member of Congress, she co-sponsored bills that would ban the procedure nationally and revise the 14th Amendment to define personhood as beginning at fertilization.

She also declared 2024 to be “Freedom for Life Year” in South Dakota. The proclamation came as her state was set to decide on a ballot measure to enshrine abortion as a right in the South Dakota Constitution.

Voters rejected that measure on Nov. 5, opting to keep the state’s current ban on most abortions except those performed to save the mother’s life.

A Secure Border Advocate

Noem has served as an ally to border states looking to curb on illegal immigration.

Alongside a slew of other Republican governors, Noem deployed National Guard troops from her state to assist with Texas’s Operation Lone Star and deter illegal immigrants at the southern border.

In announcing Noem as his pick for Homeland Security secretary, Trump specifically praised her quick action as the first governor to aid that operation.

“I have known Kristi for years, and have worked with her on a variety of projects—She will be a great part of our mission to Make America Safe Again,” he said in a statement.

Noem has also been a stalwart defender of Trump’s immigration policies. Following his election last week, she announced her confidence that he would “deport the most dangerous illegal aliens first—the murderers, rapists, and other criminals that Harris and Biden let into the country.”

Those criminals, she said, “do not belong here, and we will not let them back in.”

Noem has cited local crime stemming from the drug cartels as one of the reasons for her stalwart stance.

“We’ve got some tribal leaders that I believe are personally benefiting from the cartels being there and that’s why they attack me every day,” Noem said in March. “But I’m going to fight for the people who actually live in those situations, who call me and text me every day and say, ‘Please, dear governor, please come help us in Pine Ridge. We are scared.’”

A Contender for Vice President

At one point, Noem was floated as a top contender to join the Republican presidential ticket.

A loyal Trump ally since his 2016 presidential bid, Noem made her support for his 2024 run clear early on, backing him in September 2023.

“I will do everything I can to help him win and save this country,” she said at the time.

Talk of Noem as a possible running mate for Trump began to die down amid criticism over a story she included in her book about killing her dog, Cricket.

Noem wrote that she had stopped to talk to a family on her way home from a hunting trip when the 14-month-old pup attacked the family’s chickens, killing some of them.

The dog then “whipped around to bite me,” she wrote. “At that moment, I realized I had to put her down.”

Critics balked at Noem’s decision to kill the dog, but she defended the move by noting that the dog exhibited aggressive behavior. The story, she said, was meant to show her willingness to make tough decisions.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.