‘We all serve at the pleasure of the president’: Hegseth pledges total allegiance to Trump following Kristi Noem’s firing
Image by Gage Skidmore, & Office of the Governor of South Dakota
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Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth made it super clear that loyalty to President Trump is paramount, stating, “We all serve at the pleasure of the president,” just hours after President Trump announced a major shift in his administration. This statement came as President Trump tapped Senator Markwayne Mullin to take over the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), replacing Kristi Noem.
As reported by The Hill, Hegseth expressed full confidence in the incoming secretary. He shared with reporters during a briefing on the ongoing operation in Iran that he’s sure Markwayne Mullin will do a fantastic job, noting that Mullin has been a friend for a long time.
However, Hegseth also made sure to praise Noem’s contributions, saying she did an “excellent job” at DHS and really “set us up for success.” He even added that he had “no concerns” about future security at home under Mullin’s leadership, which is reassuring, right?
This move marks the first big Cabinet shake-up of President Trump’s second administration
Interestingly, DHS is currently shut down because of a funding fight that’s all about immigration enforcement. President Trump himself announced on Truth Social that Noem would be moving into a new role, serving as a special envoy for “The Shield of the Americas.” This new initiative is designed for the Western Hemisphere.
Noem herself quickly confirmed this on X, expressing her gratitude to President Trump for the appointment. She also shared her excitement about working closely with Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Secretary of Defense to tackle cartels that have been flooding our nation with drugs and harming our children and grandchildren.
Even those who worked directly with her, like former Border Patrol commander-at-large Gregory Bovino, had nothing but praise. Bovino, who was in charge of Operation Metro Surge in Minnesota until late January, called her “the best secretary I ever worked for, period.” He even added that the others weren’t even close, calling Noem “the ultimate patriot.”
While the public statements focused on praise and new roles, there might have been some underlying reasons for this change. Sources indicated that President Trump had actually considered firing Noem back in January after federal officers were involved in fatal shootings of two protesters in Minneapolis. However, he reportedly held off at the time because he didn’t want to seem like he was giving in to Democrats’ demands for her resignation.
More recently, President Trump told reporters that he didn’t recall giving his blessing for a $220 million ad campaign, a comment that definitely raised some eyebrows. Senator John Kennedy also mentioned that the president was “not a happy camper” about the situation. President Trump later stated in a phone interview on Thursday, “I never knew anything about it,” regarding the ad campaign.
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Published: Mar 6, 2026 07:00 am