A disagreement over a costly advertising campaign quickly escalated inside the White House this week, ending with Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem losing her job.
According to the New York Post, President Donald Trump said Thursday he had no knowledge of a $220 million ad campaign tied to the Department of Homeland Security that prominently featured Noem.
“I never knew anything about it,” Trump told Reuters.
The controversy intensified after Noem told members of Congress that the advertising effort had been approved by the president. According to two sources close to the White House who spoke with The New York Post, Trump reacted angrily after learning about the testimony.
Those sources said the president believed Noem’s remarks misrepresented his involvement and that the episode contributed to his decision to dismiss her.
Lawmakers also acknowledged the apparent disagreement between the two.
Sen. John Kennedy of Louisiana said he discussed the matter directly with Trump. While Kennedy did not offer details about the conversation, he suggested the president and Noem offered conflicting accounts.
“Put it this way, his recollection and her recollection are different,” Kennedy said Thursday during an interview with CBS.
The dispute centers on the large-scale promotional campaign, reportedly valued at $220 million, that featured Noem herself.
Questions about the campaign were raised during congressional testimony, where the former secretary indicated that Trump had signed off on the effort.
Trump publicly contradicted that claim.
Later Thursday, the president confirmed the leadership change at the Department of Homeland Security in a message posted on Truth Social.
In that announcement, Trump said he had fired Noem and named Sen. Markwayne Mullin of Oklahoma as her replacement.
The abrupt move marked a rapid downfall for the cabinet official following the disagreement over the ad campaign and the testimony that preceded it.
