Washington, DC [US], November 13 : Following his victory over Democratic candidate Kamala Harris in the 2024 US presidential election, President-elect Donald Trump has picked former Congresswoman and Governor from South Dakota, Kristi Noem, as the Secretary of the US Department of Homeland Security in his administration on Tuesday.
This is one of the many moves that the US President-elect is taking in swiftly finalising his foreign policy and national security team ahead of his formal inauguration in January 2025.
"I am pleased to announce that the Governor and former Congresswoman from South Dakota, Kristi Noem, will be appointed to serve as the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Kristi has been very strong on Border Security. She was the first Governor to send National Guard Soldiers to help Texas fight the Biden Border Crisis, and they were sent a total of eight times," Trump said in the statement.
"She will work closely with "Border Czar" Tom Homan to secure the Border, and will guarantee that our American Homeland is secure from our adversaries. I have known Kristi for years, and have worked with her on a wide variety of projects. She will be a great part of our mission to Make America Safe Again," Trump added.
Following her appointment, Governor Noem said that she was honoured and humble and was looking forward to working with Border Czar Tom Homan to "make America SAFE again."
"I am honoured and humbled that President Donald J. Trump has selected me to be the Secretary of Homeland Security. I look forward to working with Border Czar Tom Homan to make America SAFE again. With Donald Trump, we will secure the Border, and restore safety to American communities so that families will again have the opportunity to pursue The American Dream," she said in a statement.
In 2018, Noem was elected as South Dakota's first-ever female governor and in 2022, she was re-elected with the largest vote total in the history of South Dakota.
Earlier on Tuesday evening, Trump had made several key announcements, including the nomination of former Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe as the Director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), William Joseph McGinley as White House Counsel, Former New York Congressman Lee Zeldin as Administrator of the United States Environmental Protective Agency (EPA), and Pete Hegseth as the Secretary of Defence.
Meanwhile, Trump has appointed Tesla CEO Elon Musk along with Indian-origin Vivek Ramaswamy to lead the new Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).