The White House is pushing back against escalating reports that President Donald Trump is considering firing Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, even as current and former Department of Homeland Security officials warn internally of deepening dysfunction tied to Noem's leadership and the influence of her adviser Corey Lewandowski. The competing narratives highlight a widening rift over one of the administration's most polarizing cabinet members, whose handling of immigration enforcement has become a flashpoint inside the West Wing.
The Bulwark first reported that three former DHS officials, who served under both Biden and Trump and remain in touch with current personnel, said Trump was "considering moving on" from Noem. Two of them said the shift could happen "really soon," citing her reduced involvement in drafting departmental memos and frustration over Lewandowski's role. The third official cautioned that the situation is "fluid," reflecting the unpredictability of internal decision-making.
The White House moved swiftly to deny the reports. Spokeswoman Abigail Jackson wrote on X: "Anonymous former staffers pretend to know what POTUS is thinking and the Bulwark treats them as credible? This 'report'-and the Bulwark-is total FAKE NEWS! Secretary Noem is doing a great job implementing the President's agenda and Making America Safe Again." Jackson later told the Irish Star that "President Trump has built the most successful cabinet in history ... including Secretary Noem."
Yet the internal accounts paint a starker picture. Former officials described an atmosphere of chaos driven by Noem's alleged personal relationship with Lewandowski, a married former Trump campaign manager who now serves as a special government employee inside DHS. One former official summarized the department's mood bluntly: "Things are f-ked." Another added: "It's horrible, they're going to destroy this place. I'm just hoping the new secretary gets here in time."
Lewandowski denied the allegations in a message to The Bulwark, saying, "None of that is true."
The speculation comes as Trump considers a year-end cabinet reshuffle. CNN previously reported that DHS could be among the agencies facing changes, citing concerns about Lewandowski's influence and Noem's management. A person close to the White House told CNN that while Trump "likes [Noem]," he had been told that Lewandowski "is a problem, and the agency is being mismanaged because of it."
Possible successors are already circulating. The Bulwark noted that Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin, who leaves office in January, has been floated as a potential replacement. Former DHS officials said Youngkin's name repeatedly surfaced in internal discussions. CNN has reported he is open to joining the administration, though he prefers an economic or business-focused role rather than DHS.
Noem, meanwhile, continues to publicly align herself with the President's agenda. At a recent Cabinet meeting, she told Trump: "Thank you for giving me a very interesting job. Some days it's a little controversial too, but it's been an honor to work for you. You are a great American. The fights that you pick are the right fights."
Behind the scenes, however, the stakes extend far beyond cabinet reshuffling. Lewandowski has reportedly acted as a "point man" for a sweeping plan to replace senior Immigration and Customs Enforcement leaders nationwide, installing veteran Border Patrol officials in a push for a "more military style approach to immigration enforcement." The strategy echoes Trump's "Operation Midway Blitz" in Chicago and signals that any successor to Noem would be expected not only to maintain but intensify the administration's mass deportation agenda.
Polls show those policies remain unpopular with voters, raising the likelihood that a January change at DHS could be designed to reset both execution and optics as Trump prepares for the New Year. Despite repeated denials from Noem and Lewandowski, the administration now faces mounting questions about whether the department can function amid allegations of personal entanglements, collapsing morale, and the internal assessment that the situation has become untenable.
