President Donald Trump announced that he ousted Kristi Noem as Homeland Security secretary on Thursday and plans to replace her with Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla.
Mullin’s path to Washington was an unconventional one, moving from being a plumbing business owner and mixed martial arts fighter to a member of the Senate.
“Markwayne has done a tremendous job representing the wonderful People of Oklahoma,” Trump said in his announcement on Truth Social. He added that Mullin, a first-term senator, is a “A MAGA Warrior” who “truly gets along well with people, and knows the Wisdom and Courage required to Advance our America First Agenda.”
The Oklahoma Republican may not be much of a break from Noem in terms of immigration policy. He has appeared to embrace the hardline immigration stances pushed by the Trump administration.
In January, Mullin defended the federal immigration officer who killed 37-year-old Renee Good, a civilian, in Minneapolis, saying the officer “had the right to defend” himself. He disparaged the ongoing Department of Homeland Security shutdown as “political theater” on CNN last month, as lawmakers remain at a standoff over Democratic demands for immigration reform.
And on NBC’s “Meet the Press” last year, Mullin said babies born in the United States to undocumented parents should be deported with their parents, in defense of Trump’s effort to end birthright citizenship.
“If their parents are deported, then the child should most definitely go with the parents,” he said.
Journey to the Senate
Mullin was born in Tulsa and raised in the small town of Westville near the Arkansas border. He took over his father’s plumbing business in his early 20s after his father became ill, according to his Senate biography. He later became involved in ranching and other ventures before entering politics. His Senate biography also describes him as a wrestling enthusiast and a former mixed martial arts fighter, with a professional record of 5-0.
Mullin said babies born in the United States to undocumented parents should be deported with their parents, in defense of Trump’s effort to end birthright citizenship.
Mullin has served in the Senate since 2023 after winning a special election to replace longtime Republican Sen. Jim Inhofe, who retired before the end of his term. Prior to joining the Senate, Mullin served for a decade in the House, representing Oklahoma’s 2nd Congressional District from 2013 to 2023.
During his time in Congress, he has emphasized conservative positions, often aligning closely with Trump on a number of issues, including taxes, energy policy and federal regulation. In the Senate, Mullin has served on several key committees, including the Armed Services and Indian Affairs committees.
Mullin is a member of the Cherokee Nation, according to his Senate biography, which would make him the second Native American Cabinet member if confirmed. Deb Haaland, a member of the Laguna Pueblo tribe who served as interior secretary during the Biden administration, was the first.
‘Pretty humbling’
Mullin will become acting Homeland Security secretary effective March 31, Trump said in his Truth Social post on Thursday. The Republican senator has to be confirmed, though he will only need a simple majority from the GOP-controlled Senate.
Mullin told reporters he heard the news about Trump’s decision “right before the statement went out.” The senator said he called his father and wife immediately after, emphasizing that it would be “humbling” to serve in the Trump administration.
“It’s just, you know, pretty humbling when you start thinking about it. Little kid from Westville, Oklahoma, gets served in the president’s Cabinet, that’s pretty neat,” he said.
Mullin said he believes Noem “was tasked to a very difficult job and I think she has, she has performed the best she can do under the circumstances.”
“I think there’s, there’s an opportunity to build off successes, and there’s also opportunities to build off things that maybe didn’t go quite as planned,” he added when speaking to reporters on Thursday.
Combative style
Mullin has drawn national attention for his brash and, at times, combative style. He made headlines during a tense exchange in 2023 with Teamsters President Sean O’Brien during a Senate committee hearing, during which Mullin challenged the labor leader to settle their dispute physically before being restrained by fellow lawmakers.
“Stand your butt up then,” the senator told O’Brien, who responded, “You stand your butt up.”
Mullin also raised eyebrows last April when he suggested that journalists would write “less false stories” if people were allowed to use violence against them.
In backing Trump’s so-called One Big Beautiful Bill Act, Mullin also pushed the false Republican talking point that undocumented immigrants are on Medicaid.
Trump expressed confidence in Mullin to propel the administration’s immigration agenda, writing on social media on Thursday: “Markwayne will work tirelessly to Keep our Border Secure, Stop Migrant Crime, Murderers, and other Criminals from illegally entering our Country, End the Scourge of Illegal Drugs and, MAKE AMERICA SAFE AGAIN.”
Asked by reporters what his main objectives are for the DHS, Mullin said: “We’re going to focus on that. … We’ll get back to you on certain details.”
Ebony Davis is a breaking news reporter for MS NOW based in Washington, D.C. She previously worked at CNN as a campaign reporter covering elections and politics.
Julianne McShane is a breaking news reporter for MS NOW who also covers the politics of abortion and reproductive rights. You can send her tips from a non-work device on Signal at jmcshane.19 or follow her on X or Bluesky.