GOP Senators Thom Tillis and Lisa Murkowski have now called for the resignation of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. This angered Donald Trump, who lashed out at them as “losers” and “terrible Senators” and belittled them in other ways. But Noem’s tenure does look shaky. A new government review of the killing of Alex Pretti undercuts Noem’s initial account. Senate Majority Leader John Thune is declining to back Noem. And Stephen Miller undercut her, blaming DHS for a potential breach in protocol by the officers and even suggesting the initial smearing of Pretti was rooted in info supplied by the agency. This whole thing has gotten away from Trump. So we talked to New Republic contributor and Substack author Virginia Heffernan, who’s been documenting the popular backlash against ICE. We discuss why Noem’s standing will likely keep declining, what that tells us about Trump’s own miscalculations, and how ordinary people have taken charge of this story in a manner Trumpworld cannot fathom. Listen to this episode here.
PODCAST
Trump Erupts at GOPers over Kristi Noem as Her Support Suddenly Slips
As DHS Secretary Noem’s position grows shakier, the author of a piece on Minneapolis explains how the courage of ordinary people turned this story around—and how Trumpworld totally lost control of it.
Valerie Plesch/Bloomberg via Getty Images
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem in Washington, DC on Jan. 24, 2026.
