Noem ouster shows limits of Trump’s TV star Cabinet strategy
Who benefits from this decision?
A key trait President Donald Trump values in members of his team let him down with departing Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem: the ability to perform well on camera.
Paradoxically, a $200 million ad campaign and televised hearings on Capitol Hill played a significant role in Noem’s ouster.
The telegenic 54-year-old was initially tapped for Trump’s second-term Cabinet of communicators. Some, like Secretary of War Pete Hegseth and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, had substantial broadcast experience. Others, like Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, were skilled television debaters.
As the president returned to office after a four-year hiatus, Axios described a pipeline from Fox News to the Trump administration. The Columbia Journalism Review referred to it as “Trump’s TV Cabinet.”
Trump always liked having members of his team effective at defending the administration on television. That was a major part of former counselor to the president Kellyanne Conway’s job during his first term. Trump himself was a reality TV star who had previously used the medium to advance his real estate business.
But Trump 2.0 assembled a Cabinet and White House staff capable of flooding the zone on cable news and the podcast circuit. It was clearly part of what he was looking for when choosing high-profile officials.
The Department of Homeland Security under Noem also put together a talented staff ready to defend Trump’s immigration enforcement agenda on camera, including the deportations.
Critics worried that Trump was undervaluing managerial ability when deciding who to put in charge of large bureaucracies, but governing and politics have a large public messaging component.
Noem’s starring role in ads promoting the Trump immigration crackdown nevertheless raised eyebrows.
“You cross the border illegally, we’ll find you. Break our laws, we’ll punish,” Noem warned. “You harm American citizens, there will be consequences.”
“But if you come here the right way, your American dream can be as big as these endless guys,” she added.
The tough talk from the horseback-riding, cowboy hat-wearing Cabinet secretary was intended at least in part to deter illegal immigration and encourage self-deportation.
The border crisis under former President Joe Biden began when his election was seen as a welcome mat, even before he started loosening immigration policies upon taking office. Similarly, Trump’s 2024 …
Who benefits from this decision?
A key trait President Donald Trump values in members of his team let him down with departing Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem: the ability to perform well on camera.
Paradoxically, a $200 million ad campaign and televised hearings on Capitol Hill played a significant role in Noem’s ouster.
The telegenic 54-year-old was initially tapped for Trump’s second-term Cabinet of communicators. Some, like Secretary of War Pete Hegseth and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, had substantial broadcast experience. Others, like Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, were skilled television debaters.
As the president returned to office after a four-year hiatus, Axios described a pipeline from Fox News to the Trump administration. The Columbia Journalism Review referred to it as “Trump’s TV Cabinet.”
Trump always liked having members of his team effective at defending the administration on television. That was a major part of former counselor to the president Kellyanne Conway’s job during his first term. Trump himself was a reality TV star who had previously used the medium to advance his real estate business.
But Trump 2.0 assembled a Cabinet and White House staff capable of flooding the zone on cable news and the podcast circuit. It was clearly part of what he was looking for when choosing high-profile officials.
The Department of Homeland Security under Noem also put together a talented staff ready to defend Trump’s immigration enforcement agenda on camera, including the deportations.
Critics worried that Trump was undervaluing managerial ability when deciding who to put in charge of large bureaucracies, but governing and politics have a large public messaging component.
Noem’s starring role in ads promoting the Trump immigration crackdown nevertheless raised eyebrows.
“You cross the border illegally, we’ll find you. Break our laws, we’ll punish,” Noem warned. “You harm American citizens, there will be consequences.”
“But if you come here the right way, your American dream can be as big as these endless guys,” she added.
The tough talk from the horseback-riding, cowboy hat-wearing Cabinet secretary was intended at least in part to deter illegal immigration and encourage self-deportation.
The border crisis under former President Joe Biden began when his election was seen as a welcome mat, even before he started loosening immigration policies upon taking office. Similarly, Trump’s 2024 …
Noem ouster shows limits of Trump’s TV star Cabinet strategy
Who benefits from this decision?
A key trait President Donald Trump values in members of his team let him down with departing Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem: the ability to perform well on camera.
Paradoxically, a $200 million ad campaign and televised hearings on Capitol Hill played a significant role in Noem’s ouster.
The telegenic 54-year-old was initially tapped for Trump’s second-term Cabinet of communicators. Some, like Secretary of War Pete Hegseth and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, had substantial broadcast experience. Others, like Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, were skilled television debaters.
As the president returned to office after a four-year hiatus, Axios described a pipeline from Fox News to the Trump administration. The Columbia Journalism Review referred to it as “Trump’s TV Cabinet.”
Trump always liked having members of his team effective at defending the administration on television. That was a major part of former counselor to the president Kellyanne Conway’s job during his first term. Trump himself was a reality TV star who had previously used the medium to advance his real estate business.
But Trump 2.0 assembled a Cabinet and White House staff capable of flooding the zone on cable news and the podcast circuit. It was clearly part of what he was looking for when choosing high-profile officials.
The Department of Homeland Security under Noem also put together a talented staff ready to defend Trump’s immigration enforcement agenda on camera, including the deportations.
Critics worried that Trump was undervaluing managerial ability when deciding who to put in charge of large bureaucracies, but governing and politics have a large public messaging component.
Noem’s starring role in ads promoting the Trump immigration crackdown nevertheless raised eyebrows.
“You cross the border illegally, we’ll find you. Break our laws, we’ll punish,” Noem warned. “You harm American citizens, there will be consequences.”
“But if you come here the right way, your American dream can be as big as these endless guys,” she added.
The tough talk from the horseback-riding, cowboy hat-wearing Cabinet secretary was intended at least in part to deter illegal immigration and encourage self-deportation.
The border crisis under former President Joe Biden began when his election was seen as a welcome mat, even before he started loosening immigration policies upon taking office. Similarly, Trump’s 2024 …
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