Donald Trump Selects Kristi Noem, Who Shot Her Dog, for One of America's Most Powerful Jobs

President-elect Donald Trump, who's currently basking in his election victory against Democratic rival Kamala Harris, has selected South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem as his next secretary of the Department of Homeland Security in his 2024 administration. 

In an official statement, Trump wrote, "Kristi has been very strong on border security. She was the first Governor to send [the] National Guard Soldiers to help Texas fight the Biden Border Crisis." In addition, he also detailed, "She will work closely with 'Border Czar' Tom Homan to secure the Border, and will guarantee that our American Homeland is secure from our adversaries," reassuring that he's known Noem "for years" and she'd be a great part to "Make America Safe Again," as per CNN.

In response, Noem extended her gratitude to Trump, the 47th president of the US, and posted on X, formerly Twitter, "I am honored and humbled that President Donald J. Trump has selected me to be the Secretary of Homeland Security," pledging, "With Donald Trump, we will secure the border and restore safety to American communities." 

Noem will work alongside two other firebrands: former ICE chief Tom Homan and alleged white supremacist Stephen Miller, who would oversee the American immigration department as senior figures. This step signals that Trump kept his promise of securing the borders from outside invasions, a key domestic agenda he pushed throughout his campaign.

Meanwhile, Noem has been tasked with one of America's most powerful jobs. As a Homeland Security Secretary, she would control a $62 billion discretionary budget, along with $23 billion for disaster response and recovery. Additionally, about 260,000 employees would work under her. After the Department of Defense and Veterans Affairs, DHS is the third largest department in the US government and Noem's leadership would mean a big deal. 

Although the 52-year-old doesn't represent a border state, she has extensive experience in advocating for strict immigration policies. For instance, in 2010, she opposed an Arizona immigration law during the Obama administration. She also demanded punishment for Democratic-led 'sanctuary cities' that protected undocumented immigrants and refused to cooperate with federal agencies. Furthermore, during her time in Congress, she backed Trump's Muslim ban as well. 

A true MAGA loyal, Noem recently made headlines after revealing that she had to put down her family dog. In an excerpt from her book titled, No Going Back: The Truth on What's Wrong with Politics and How We Move America Forward, the governor writes about shooting Cricket, her 14-month-old puppy, after the pet attacked a family's chickens and "whipped around to bite me," per Newsweek. "I realized I had to put her down," saying she "hated that dog" who was "untrainable." 

In addition to the controversy surrounding her pet, Noem has been involved in several other incidents, including being banned from Native American lands. She was also accused of fabricating a story about meeting North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.