Sources Say Trump Sent Kristi Noem's MAGA Elite Status To The Gravel Pit

This year kicked off with raging resignation rumors about Kristi Noem's job as the Department of Homeland Security Secretary. President Donald Trump ultimately removed her from the position before she could quit, but at least the divisive politician didn't push her out of his administration altogether. The president announced on Truth Social that Noem would be taking on a new role, as the "Special Envoy for The Shield of the Americas, our new Security Initiative in the Western Hemisphere we are announcing on Saturday in Doral, Florida." Shortly after, social media was abuzz with jokes about whether Noem's new position came with any actual prestige, or whether it was even real, and now we have an answer.

According to the Daily Beast, the former South Dakota governor's new job is definitely a demotion from her role as the DHS Secretary, where she wielded immense power. They cited The Punch Up Substack, which claimed Trump only allowed Noem to transition to the new position because he didn't want her running for the Senate, where she could've been competition for his preferred pick, the incumbent South Dakota Senator Mike Rounds. "It was made up to keep her busy," one of their sources disclosed. However, Noem apparently started taking the position considerably more seriously than anyone intended. Unfortunately for her, there have been whispers that she'll soon be forced to pour all of her energy into a new job — outside of the administration. And that's far from the politician's only issue currently.

Kristi Noem is no stranger to scandalous rumors, but her job security isn't the biggest hurdle she's facing right now. The former DHS secretary's husband, Bryon Noem, is still making headlines for his spicy online life, which involved engaging in explicit conversations with adult models. And it's continuing to cause problems for the longtime couple. According to the Daily Mail, Bryon and Kristi were several million dollars in debt — mostly due to home and business loans — during at least part of the time that he was allegedly spending thousands to support his online habit. The outlet spoke with several of the models who supposedly exchanged messages with Bryon. Among them, Nicole Raccagno claims to have received more than $30,000 from him across several transactions.

Conversely, Kristi recently got a bit of positive news amid a slew of overwhelmingly negative headlines. According to The Independent, the Trail of Governors Foundation is erecting a statue in her honor in the Trump staffer's home state of South Dakota, where she served as the state's first female governor before jumping ship to work for the president. "Noem's statue will join 31 governors' statues on the trail that winds its way throughout the capital city's downtown to and through the state capital grounds," the foundation announced. "Each statue tells the story of that governor during their lifetime or service to the state." But she'll have to wait until June 2026 to see it up close.