A Republican senator is openly celebrating the departure of Kristi Noem — and he’s now calling for another top Trump ally to follow her out the door.
Sen. Thom Tillis said Sunday that he was relieved President Donald Trump decided to remove Noem from her role leading the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
“Well, I’m glad he moved on,” Tillis said during an appearance on State of the Union with host Jake Tapper.
Trump announced Thursday that Noem will leave the department on March 31. The president has nominated Sen. Markwayne Mullin to replace her as DHS secretary. Noem, meanwhile, will transition into a newly created diplomatic role as special envoy for the administration’s “Shield of the Americas” initiative.
Tillis has been one of Noem’s loudest Republican critics in recent months, particularly after a deadly incident in Minneapolis earlier this year.
In January, federal immigration officers fatally shot two U.S. citizens, Renee Good and Alex Pretti. Noem initially claimed the pair had acted unlawfully — but video footage from the scene appeared to contradict those assertions.
During a tense Senate Judiciary Committee hearing earlier this week, Tillis blasted the outgoing DHS chief over the controversy.
“What we’ve seen is a disaster under your leadership, Ms. Noem — a disaster,” he told her.
The North Carolina senator also accused Noem of delaying critical disaster relief funding for his state following the devastation caused by Hurricane Helene.
But Tillis didn’t stop with Noem.
He also took direct aim at Stephen Miller, one of Trump’s most influential policy advisers and the architect of many of the administration’s hardline immigration policies.
Speaking to Tapper, Tillis said Miller has far too much influence inside the administration — and suggested it’s time for him to step aside as well.
“I think Stephen Miller’s demonstrated he too is out of his depth,” Tillis said.
When Tapper asked directly whether Miller should be removed from his role, the Republican senator didn’t hesitate.
“Oh, of course I do,” Tillis replied.
According to Tillis, Miller’s influence has repeatedly created problems for the administration and has interfered with Cabinet officials trying to run their departments.
“I think he has an outsized influence over the operations of the Cabinet,” Tillis said. “And I believe we have qualified Cabinet members who sometimes are doing less than what they want to because of his direction.”
Looking ahead, Tillis said he believes Mullin will take a different approach if confirmed to lead DHS — one he described as more independent and grounded in data.
“I have a lot of confidence in my friend,” Tillis said. “And I’m looking forward to him getting this department under control.”
Watch the clip below:
