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Kristi Noem’s Job Is Reportedly Safe Thanks To Melania Trump

Former First Lady Melania Trump [Screenshot/Fox News]

Political analyst Mark Halperin reported on Tuesday that first lady Melania Trump supports Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, making it less likely she would be fired by President Donald Trump.

Sources told Halperin that Melania was a close friend of Noem and continues to support her, which likely gives Noem a boost in her hopes of keeping her job following her response to a Border Patrol shooting Saturday in Minneapolis, Halperin said on “2Way Tonight.” Noem has faced intense scrutiny for her handling of the fallout in Minnesota and for accusing Alex Pretti, who was shot by a Border Patrol agent, of domestic terrorism before the investigation concluded.

“If you want to know why I’m relatively certain that the president is not going to fire Secretary Noem or that she’s going to be forced out, despite a lot of speculation about that, she has the support, I’m told, of a friend of hers who’s very influential with the president,” Halperin said. “Her name is Melania Trump. Melania Trump, I’m told, fully supports her friend, Kristi Noem, and the president does too.” 

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Noem said during a press conference on Saturday that Pretti “violently resisted” officers as they attempted to disarm him, adding that the agent fired defensive shots while he feared for his life. Police confirmed that Pretti legally carried the handgun with a permit and that the firearm was removed before the agent shot him.

Some Republican lawmakers criticized Noem and the administration over their response to Pretti’s death, including North Carolina Sen. Thom Tillis, who said rushing to judgment on the matter is a “disservice to the nation and to President Trump’s legacy.” Democratic Illinois Rep. Robin Kelly introduced a resolution to impeach Noem, which has earned 120 co-sponsors and the support of House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries.

Noem’s accusations against Pretti reportedly came from top officials in the White House, specifically White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller, who called Pretti an “assassin” in a statement on X, sources told Axios.

Trump held a meeting with Noem in the Oval Office for about two hours on Monday and later told reporters on Tuesday that she will not be stepping down. Ahead of border czar Tom Homan’s visit to Minnesota on Monday, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt assured the press that Trump still has the “utmost confidence” in Noem.

Before boarding Marine One, Trump said on Tuesday he wants a “very honorable” and “honest investigation” into Pretti’s death.

Political unrest has continued to unravel in Minnesota following the deaths of Pretti and Renee Good, who was shot by an ICE agent after hitting him with her vehicle. Democratic Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Democratic Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey have called on ICE and Border Patrol to leave their state and have labeled the deaths of Good and Pretti as murders.