Trump puts Noem in the doghouse at first Cabinet meeting of 2026
Is this competence or optics?
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem did not speak at a Thursday Cabinet meeting hosted by President Donald Trump amid significant fallout from last weekend’s killing of 37-year-old Alex Pretti in Minnesota.
Though Trump has publicly expressed confidence in Noem, telling reporters on Tuesday that she would not step down from her post, he dispatched White House border czar Tom Homan to Minneapolis earlier this week to take over command of “Operation Metro Surge” and lead conversations with state and local lawmakers.
And at Thursday’s Cabinet meeting, the first of 2026, Noem did not speak. Meanwhile, Minnesota was discussed only once when Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. mentioned the state, alongside California, as a core focus of the administration’s efforts to tackle Medicaid and Medicare fraud.
Last year, Trump’s Cabinet meetings routinely ran from two to three hours, as he would go around the table and ask each department boss to explain what they had been working on in recent weeks. But on Thursday, Trump said he was switching up the format.
“I love these people, but there’s a lot of people. It was a little bit on the boring side,” he joked, noting that media outlets accused him of falling asleep while resting his eyes during the marathon meetings in the past. “I love going around the room. But we’re going to pick a few people.”
Noem, notably, was not among the Cabinet members called on by the president to present. Those also not called on included Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Attorney General Pam Bondi, Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins, Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum, Secretary of Labor Lori Chavez-DeRememer, and others. The president also opted, for the first time since reentering office in January, to conclude the Cabinet meeting without fielding any questions from the press.
SBA administrator Kelly Loeffler now speaking… Trump skipped over Noem, seated directly to Loeffler's right
— Christian Datoc (@TocRadio) January 29, 2026
Senior White House officials discounted Noem’s exclusion from the speaking program on Thursday, telling the Washington Examiner, “You’re reading way too much into this.”
Trump critics have targeted both Noem and Stephen Miller, Trump’s deputy chief of staff and top immigration adviser, in the days following the Pretti killing. Congressional Democrats have said they plan to launch impeachment proceedings against Noem if Trump does not replace her …
Is this competence or optics?
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem did not speak at a Thursday Cabinet meeting hosted by President Donald Trump amid significant fallout from last weekend’s killing of 37-year-old Alex Pretti in Minnesota.
Though Trump has publicly expressed confidence in Noem, telling reporters on Tuesday that she would not step down from her post, he dispatched White House border czar Tom Homan to Minneapolis earlier this week to take over command of “Operation Metro Surge” and lead conversations with state and local lawmakers.
And at Thursday’s Cabinet meeting, the first of 2026, Noem did not speak. Meanwhile, Minnesota was discussed only once when Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. mentioned the state, alongside California, as a core focus of the administration’s efforts to tackle Medicaid and Medicare fraud.
Last year, Trump’s Cabinet meetings routinely ran from two to three hours, as he would go around the table and ask each department boss to explain what they had been working on in recent weeks. But on Thursday, Trump said he was switching up the format.
“I love these people, but there’s a lot of people. It was a little bit on the boring side,” he joked, noting that media outlets accused him of falling asleep while resting his eyes during the marathon meetings in the past. “I love going around the room. But we’re going to pick a few people.”
Noem, notably, was not among the Cabinet members called on by the president to present. Those also not called on included Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Attorney General Pam Bondi, Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins, Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum, Secretary of Labor Lori Chavez-DeRememer, and others. The president also opted, for the first time since reentering office in January, to conclude the Cabinet meeting without fielding any questions from the press.
SBA administrator Kelly Loeffler now speaking… Trump skipped over Noem, seated directly to Loeffler's right
— Christian Datoc (@TocRadio) January 29, 2026
Senior White House officials discounted Noem’s exclusion from the speaking program on Thursday, telling the Washington Examiner, “You’re reading way too much into this.”
Trump critics have targeted both Noem and Stephen Miller, Trump’s deputy chief of staff and top immigration adviser, in the days following the Pretti killing. Congressional Democrats have said they plan to launch impeachment proceedings against Noem if Trump does not replace her …
Trump puts Noem in the doghouse at first Cabinet meeting of 2026
Is this competence or optics?
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem did not speak at a Thursday Cabinet meeting hosted by President Donald Trump amid significant fallout from last weekend’s killing of 37-year-old Alex Pretti in Minnesota.
Though Trump has publicly expressed confidence in Noem, telling reporters on Tuesday that she would not step down from her post, he dispatched White House border czar Tom Homan to Minneapolis earlier this week to take over command of “Operation Metro Surge” and lead conversations with state and local lawmakers.
And at Thursday’s Cabinet meeting, the first of 2026, Noem did not speak. Meanwhile, Minnesota was discussed only once when Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. mentioned the state, alongside California, as a core focus of the administration’s efforts to tackle Medicaid and Medicare fraud.
Last year, Trump’s Cabinet meetings routinely ran from two to three hours, as he would go around the table and ask each department boss to explain what they had been working on in recent weeks. But on Thursday, Trump said he was switching up the format.
“I love these people, but there’s a lot of people. It was a little bit on the boring side,” he joked, noting that media outlets accused him of falling asleep while resting his eyes during the marathon meetings in the past. “I love going around the room. But we’re going to pick a few people.”
Noem, notably, was not among the Cabinet members called on by the president to present. Those also not called on included Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Attorney General Pam Bondi, Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins, Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum, Secretary of Labor Lori Chavez-DeRememer, and others. The president also opted, for the first time since reentering office in January, to conclude the Cabinet meeting without fielding any questions from the press.
SBA administrator Kelly Loeffler now speaking… Trump skipped over Noem, seated directly to Loeffler's right
— Christian Datoc (@TocRadio) January 29, 2026
Senior White House officials discounted Noem’s exclusion from the speaking program on Thursday, telling the Washington Examiner, “You’re reading way too much into this.”
Trump critics have targeted both Noem and Stephen Miller, Trump’s deputy chief of staff and top immigration adviser, in the days following the Pretti killing. Congressional Democrats have said they plan to launch impeachment proceedings against Noem if Trump does not replace her …
