Donald Trump Gave Kristi Noem a ‘Fake’ Job to Dodge Senate Drama, Report Claims

Kristi Noem's new job was a "made-up" role to keep her out of the Senate, after she was ousted from her role as Homeland Security secretary on March 5, 2026, according to a new report.

After removing her from the cabinet last month, President Donald Trump appointed her as the Special Envoy for the Shield of the Americas. According to the Irish Star, which cited PunchUp, a Substack newsletter, the move ensured she missed the March 31 deadline to enter the South Dakota Republican primary, making her ineligible to run against Trump-endorsed Sen. Mike Rounds.

An administration source told the outlet that the role "was made up to keep her busy," and that the White House saw Noem as a liability, and needed to "put her out to the glue factory."

PunchUp added that some of the president's aides believed that Noem had enough support to become a possible threat to Rounds, given that South Dakota is her home state.

But to qualify for the South Dakota Republican primary, Noem would have needed to collect 2,171 petition signatures and submit them by 5 p.m. on March 31. With her firing announced on March 5, the former DHS Secretary had only 26 days to secure the required signatures before the March 31 deadline.

After that, instead of entering the Senate race, Noem focused on her new role as she "felt she had no choice but to show her willingness to toe the president's line," the outlet reported, quoting a source.

The Shield of the Americas was formally launched on March 7, after Trump signed a proclamation at the Trump National Doral Miami resort. Leaders from 12 nations attended the event.

Apart from Noem, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth were also in attendance. While the leaders of Mexico, Brazil, and Colombia remained absent, the presidents of Argentina, Ecuador, El Salvador, and Bolivia attended the event.

As the Special Envoy to "The Shield of the Americas", Noem will focus on improving safety and cooperation across countries in the Western Hemisphere. The program will focus on issues like border security and stronger cooperation between North and South American countries.

After Trump announced her new position, Noem shared on X that her new job would require her to work closely with Secretaries Rubio and Hegseth. It will also require her to work on the administration's war on drugs. She also expressed gratitude to Trump for appointing her to the role.

The Substack outlet reports that White House officials realized that Noem was treating her new job as something more than just a symbolic role. "They didn't expect her to take it so seriously," an administration source told the outlet.

But last week, the Daily Mail reported that Noem's time in the new position might be over soon. "This post was intended as a soft landing so it didn't look like Noem was immediately being fired," sources told the news portal.

"But no one really thinks she should have this job. The State Department was not happy to have her here, and the understanding is that she's not going to be here for much longer," the source said.