Megyn Kelly has claimed Kristi Noem is an ’embarrassment’ who needs to stop her ‘ridiculous photo ops’ while working as Secretary of Homeland Security.
Noem, the former governor of South Dakota, attracted attention early on in Donald Trump’s second term for spending time in the field with ICE agents as they looked to solve the crisis at the border.
The DHS Secretary has been dubbed ‘ICE Barbie’ by both fans and critics for her appearance with agents.
The host of The Megyn Kelly Show said ‘she’s doing a great job’ but added that she ‘can’t stand’ Noem’s photo ops.
‘Just stop trying to glamorize the mission and put yourself in the middle of it as you cosplay ICE agent, which you’re not,’ Kelly said Wednesday.
‘I think they diminish ICE, DHS, CPB, she’s not an agent. She is an administrative policy person appointed by Trump because she was very loyal to him.’
Kelly claimed that Noem ‘looks like I look right now, but she’s out in the field with her gun,’ furthering the ‘ICE Barbie’ image, adding she has to ‘stop with the glam.’
‘No one wants you there. First of all, nobody ever wants the extra lady who doesn’t actually belong. They just don’t.’
Megyn Kelly (pictured) called Kristi Noem an ’embarrassment’ who needs to stop her ‘ridiculous photo ops’ while working as Secretary of Homeland Security
Noem (pictured), the former governor of South Dakota, attracted attention early on in Donald Trump’s second term for spending time in the field with ICE agents as they looked to solve the crisis at the border
The host referenced a photo op where somebody tried to kick Noem and said ‘it’s like she’s looking for an opportunity to have that happen.’
‘I have had it up to here with all of this,’ she said.
Kelly also referenced a recent video where Noem faced criticism for wielding a rifle towards the head of a fellow immigration enforcement official.
‘Why doesn’t somebody save her from herself?’
The host even noted Noem’s rumored affair with former Trump advisor Corey Lewandowski which DailyMail.com revealed in 2023.
Kelly did say, however, that Noem’s work at the border in an administrative role has been excellent.
‘She’s doing a great job, her actual performance as DHS Secretary, in my view, anyway, has been amazing.’
The head of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) stood flanked by two agents during a video touting the most recent operation rounding up illegal immigrant criminals in Arizona on Tuesday.
Noem has been dubbed ‘ICE Barbie’ after repeatedly showing up for raids and other operations in full makeup and hair glam while wearing flashy clothes and jewelry
But viewers immediately weighed-in on how they said Noem was holding and handling the firearm incorrectly.
Social media critics said that Noem was pointing the barrel of the weapon towards the head of the man standing on her left. They also noted how her trigger finger was not pointed away from the trigger and how she was wearing her bulletproof vest askew.
Any gun safety expert or person who regularly handles a firearm would know that when standing near people, the muzzle should at all times be pointed down to the ground. It could also be pointed upwards to the sky – but it should never be on an angle pointed in the direction of another person.
Some compared the way Noem held her gun to the way an ISIS terrorist or other insurgent or untrained renegade might hold a firearm to intimate those around them.
The strap on Noem’s firearm was not around her body, indicating that she was not actively using or prepared to operate the rifle.
But the former South Dakota Governor has made clear that she has shot guns plenty of times in the past – leading to more questions over her poor muzzle control.
Noem wrote in her recent memoir about a time when she shot and killed her family puppy because it was deemed not to have the appropriate temperament of a working ranch dog.
On Wednesday, Noem announced the re-establishment of a government office focused on helping families devastated by crimes carried out by illegal aliens.
Noem continues to take a hands on approach to her job as homeland security chief, visiting the prison in El Salvador where the Trump administration has banished many illegal migrants
Kelly asked of Noem (pictured): ‘Why doesn’t somebody save her from herself?’
The Victims of Immigration Crime Engagement (VOICE) office was officially re-established during an event Wednesday afternoon at Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) headquarters.
VOICE began under Trump’s first administration in 2017 to fulfill a promise to aid those directly impacted by migrant crime.
But Joe Biden axed the office in 2021 and opened a more ‘inclusive victim support system’ that, in addition to serving Americans, helped investigate alleged abuses at migrant centers.
Speaking alongside victims, known as ‘angel families,’ Noem shared that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and ICE are now working again to support them.
