Trump Keeps Defending Noem. Allies See A Warning Sign.

Publicly, the Trump administration is standing behind Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, casting her as an effective secretary with a big job.

Inside Trump’s orbit, President Donald Trump’s decision to install border czar Tom Homan to oversee operations in Minneapolis is seen as a black mark — the latest in a host of concerns about the secretary’s management of the agency.

While the administration has tried to contain the fallout, Homan’s new assignment has focused attention on Noem’s leadership, creating an opening that Democrats and longstanding internal critics will be eager to exploit.

Some Republicans seem wary. At least one, Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina is calling for her ouster. And on Tuesday evening, Senate Minority Leader John Thune of South Dakota dodged a question about whether Noem has his confidence. Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky has called a hearing where three top immigration officials will testify.

Noem’s missteps in Minneapolis pile on top of already-existing concerns Trump administration officials and allies have had for months about Noem’s tenure atop DHS.

Among the criticisms: That she’s bungled the billions of dollars in new funding handed out by Republicans’ recent megalaw, and the outsized role at the department played by her senior adviser, Corey Lewandowski, who has wielded major influence at DHS despite his role as a “special governmental employee” — a designation that’s intended to be temporary.

Trump, as he departed the White House for Iowa on Tuesday, told reporters that Noem is “doing a very good job” and said she wouldn’t step down. Later that evening, he pointed to her work at the border, calling it a “tremendous success.”

“She was there at the border. Who closed up the border? She did with Tom Homan, with the whole group,” Trump said.

But one person close to the administration, granted anonymity to speak candidly, suggested that Trump’s decision to put Homan in charge speaks louder than the administration’s public defense for Noem.

“It’s very noteworthy. In a crisis situation, leaders don’t like to pull people out or change things — particularly Trump — because it looks like you’re giving in, or lost confidence,” said the person. “But I think this is a very good move. I’m heartened by it, and it needed to be done.”

Trump’s decision to sideline not only her but also Border Patrol commander Gregory Bovino in favor of Homan is another knock on Noem, considering they are allies. On Tuesday, Trump went further to criticize Bovino than Noem, saying he’s “a pretty out-there kind of a guy, and in some cases that’s good — maybe it wasn’t good here.”

“I think that Noem and Bovino missed the moment at a critical time for DHS,” said a second person close to the administration. “They may have been OK with another few weeks of this — but I don’t think President Trump was.”

White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson said the president’s immigration and homeland security team is on the same page, including Noem, Homan and Customs and Border Protection leadership.

“They have worked seamlessly together to deliver on the president’s agenda to secure the border, removed criminal illegal aliens, and taken important action to protect the homeland,” she said.

DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said Noem is “very happy” to have Homan oversee operations in Minneapolis, noting that the secretary continues to run DHS, and will continue to be involved with Border Patrol and Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

“Her portfolio is really huge,” McLaughlin said.

But the situation has kicked off a fresh round of speculation about how long she’ll have the job — a Washington parlor game that Homan’s selection doused with accelerant, considering their history of disagreement over the best way to execute the president’s immigration mandate.

Two highly publicized fatal shootings in Minneapolis have reignited frustrations with Noem, whose playbook for dealing with an ICE agent’s killing of Renee Good — reflexive defense of the officers involved and terrorism accusations for those who died — she again deployed to respond to the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti, which some in the administration viewed as damaging ICE’s credibility further with the public.

Soon after the shooting, Noem called Pretti a “domestic terrorist,” and without evidence claimed that he brought a handgun to the scene “to inflict maximum damage on individuals and to kill law enforcement” — statements the White House has distanced the president from.

In both chambers of Congress, Democratic anger is growing. In the House, Democratic leadership is openly backing efforts to impeach Noem, and Democrats in both chambers are in no mood to support funding for the agency absent changes, raising the specter of a shutdown in mere days.

DHS officials have swatted away suggestions that Noem misstepped in her early remarks about the Pretti shooting.

“This individual committed a federal crime while armed as he obstructed an active law enforcement operation,” said one senior DHS official, granted anonymity to offer an internal view of the criticism against Noem. “As with any situation that is evolving, we work to give swift, accurate information to the American people as more information becomes available”

The senior official also insisted Noem has been trying to meet the goal of mass agenda and not chasing “publicity.”

Noem and Lewandowski also sat for a two-hour Oval office meeting with Trump on Monday. Though the details of what was discussed are sparse, some administration officials saw the timing as telling, considering mounting criticism of how she’s handled the situation in Minneapolis. The meeting came at the secretary’s request, according to a White House official, granted anonymity to speak about the private meeting.

Beyond the widespread criticism of the DHS secretary’s handling of operations Minneapolis, the official pointed to Noem and Lewandowski’s campaign to force out U.S. Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Rodney Scott over disagreements on how to implement the president’s deportation agenda. An administration official, granted anonymity to speak candidly, suggested all of these actions show that “they put themselves and their egos over POTUS’ mission and that definitely doesn’t end well.”

Noem may survive this precarious moment. But even if she does, her leadership will face continuing challenges. For one, Homan’s elevation will likely invite comparisons to her approach. Since arriving in Minneapolis, Homan said he had “productive” meetings with Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, both Democrats.

How Homan will ultimately run things is unclear. But he comes into the role with gravitas, considering his background as a career immigration officer who led ICE in acting capacity during the first Trump administration.

“Tom Homan is a law enforcement guy. He’s not LARPING as law enforcement,” said Mark Krikorian, who leads the Center for Immigration Studies, which favors restrictions on legal immigration and tough action against unauthorized immigration.

Meanwhile, Noem’s relationship with Customs and Border Protection leadership has soured. Elevating Bovino came at the expense of her relationship with Scott. A third person close to the administration said that some in the White House are “deeply upset” with her treatment of Scott, who has a relationship with Trump personally and is respected in the West Wing.

The person added that there’s also frustration within the agency about how CBP is being made the fall guy.

“CBP has bent over backwards to make ICE’s job go more smoothly and to do more of ICE’s work. And in return for that, it’s just been that CBP now takes blame for ICE’s failures,” the person said. “And that has caused enormous anger and resentment.”