Victor Davis Hanson: Why Kristi Noem Failed at DHS
What's the administration thinking here?
Editor’s note: This is a lightly edited transcript of a segment from today’s edition of “Victor Davis Hanson: In His Own Words” with Daily Signal Senior Contributor Victor Davis Hanson. Subscribe to Hanson’s own YouTube channel to watch past episodes.
Jack Fowler: Kristi Noem. Any thoughts that you want to share about her firing and her tenure as head of homeland security?
Victor Davis Hanson: I’m baffled by her because I had followed vaguely. I think she was a congressional representative before she became governor, and I saw a picture in 2015 or something with her husband.
She had no makeup on. She had kind of a shag haircut, short haircut, fresh face. They were very intimate. I don’t mean in the sexual sense, but you know, close, had their arm around each other. She looked happy, she looked unaffected. And to see her today with those long extensions and facial surgery, it’s sad.
And she was a very effective governor. So, something happened, and that happened might be something connected with higher prominence, money. I don’t know what it was, attention? But she needs to get back to her original roots as a Dakotan and a family, you know, wife and kids.
I don’t know the intricacies, but the things that she is doing, there’s three things that didn’t work out for her.
She wasn’t sober and judicious when we had these crises. So, when the two people were killed in Minnesota, she just shot from the hip and said, “Terrorism.” It may have been, but you should have just said, “We regret any death. But as the head of homeland security, we’ve got to protect the lives and safety of our officers. And this is a tragic death, but we’re going to investigate it fully. I have confidence that our officers are not going to be found culpable, but I’m absolutely willing to change my mind if I find evidence of it.”
That’s all you had to say.
And then where is the wall, Jack? I thought the wall was going to be done by now. Remember, we saw all that stuff that Joe Biden let rust, and we had to go buy it. And President Donald Trump said …
Fowler: We bought it back, right?
Hanson: Yeah. It’s somewhat [done], but we want to get it done before the Democratics come back in power. That was her prime objective, and we didn’t get it done.
Then there is when she showed up at that high-security Latin American prison in what, Guatemala was it?
Fowler: El Salvador.
Hanson: Oh, it was El Salvador. Not Guatemala. It was El Salvador. And if you’re going to walk among the most dangerous people in the world, then I would try to play down my personal femininity, and I would be more bureaucratic.
Fowler: It seemed more like Hillary at that point.
Hanson: Yes. What I’m saying is Tulsi Gabbard is a very attractive woman, but when you see her, she looks natural. You know what I’m saying? It doesn’t look like she’s trying to be suggestive. And so that hurt her.
And then she had these campaign ads, and they centered on her, on horses and everything. And now she spent, she had budget. I don’t think she spent it all, but $250 million. Is that what, $240 million?
Fowler: It’s a lot of money.
Hanson: And there were accusations that some of the companies that were making …
What's the administration thinking here?
Editor’s note: This is a lightly edited transcript of a segment from today’s edition of “Victor Davis Hanson: In His Own Words” with Daily Signal Senior Contributor Victor Davis Hanson. Subscribe to Hanson’s own YouTube channel to watch past episodes.
Jack Fowler: Kristi Noem. Any thoughts that you want to share about her firing and her tenure as head of homeland security?
Victor Davis Hanson: I’m baffled by her because I had followed vaguely. I think she was a congressional representative before she became governor, and I saw a picture in 2015 or something with her husband.
She had no makeup on. She had kind of a shag haircut, short haircut, fresh face. They were very intimate. I don’t mean in the sexual sense, but you know, close, had their arm around each other. She looked happy, she looked unaffected. And to see her today with those long extensions and facial surgery, it’s sad.
And she was a very effective governor. So, something happened, and that happened might be something connected with higher prominence, money. I don’t know what it was, attention? But she needs to get back to her original roots as a Dakotan and a family, you know, wife and kids.
I don’t know the intricacies, but the things that she is doing, there’s three things that didn’t work out for her.
She wasn’t sober and judicious when we had these crises. So, when the two people were killed in Minnesota, she just shot from the hip and said, “Terrorism.” It may have been, but you should have just said, “We regret any death. But as the head of homeland security, we’ve got to protect the lives and safety of our officers. And this is a tragic death, but we’re going to investigate it fully. I have confidence that our officers are not going to be found culpable, but I’m absolutely willing to change my mind if I find evidence of it.”
That’s all you had to say.
And then where is the wall, Jack? I thought the wall was going to be done by now. Remember, we saw all that stuff that Joe Biden let rust, and we had to go buy it. And President Donald Trump said …
Fowler: We bought it back, right?
Hanson: Yeah. It’s somewhat [done], but we want to get it done before the Democratics come back in power. That was her prime objective, and we didn’t get it done.
Then there is when she showed up at that high-security Latin American prison in what, Guatemala was it?
Fowler: El Salvador.
Hanson: Oh, it was El Salvador. Not Guatemala. It was El Salvador. And if you’re going to walk among the most dangerous people in the world, then I would try to play down my personal femininity, and I would be more bureaucratic.
Fowler: It seemed more like Hillary at that point.
Hanson: Yes. What I’m saying is Tulsi Gabbard is a very attractive woman, but when you see her, she looks natural. You know what I’m saying? It doesn’t look like she’s trying to be suggestive. And so that hurt her.
And then she had these campaign ads, and they centered on her, on horses and everything. And now she spent, she had budget. I don’t think she spent it all, but $250 million. Is that what, $240 million?
Fowler: It’s a lot of money.
Hanson: And there were accusations that some of the companies that were making …
Victor Davis Hanson: Why Kristi Noem Failed at DHS
What's the administration thinking here?
Editor’s note: This is a lightly edited transcript of a segment from today’s edition of “Victor Davis Hanson: In His Own Words” with Daily Signal Senior Contributor Victor Davis Hanson. Subscribe to Hanson’s own YouTube channel to watch past episodes.
Jack Fowler: Kristi Noem. Any thoughts that you want to share about her firing and her tenure as head of homeland security?
Victor Davis Hanson: I’m baffled by her because I had followed vaguely. I think she was a congressional representative before she became governor, and I saw a picture in 2015 or something with her husband.
She had no makeup on. She had kind of a shag haircut, short haircut, fresh face. They were very intimate. I don’t mean in the sexual sense, but you know, close, had their arm around each other. She looked happy, she looked unaffected. And to see her today with those long extensions and facial surgery, it’s sad.
And she was a very effective governor. So, something happened, and that happened might be something connected with higher prominence, money. I don’t know what it was, attention? But she needs to get back to her original roots as a Dakotan and a family, you know, wife and kids.
I don’t know the intricacies, but the things that she is doing, there’s three things that didn’t work out for her.
She wasn’t sober and judicious when we had these crises. So, when the two people were killed in Minnesota, she just shot from the hip and said, “Terrorism.” It may have been, but you should have just said, “We regret any death. But as the head of homeland security, we’ve got to protect the lives and safety of our officers. And this is a tragic death, but we’re going to investigate it fully. I have confidence that our officers are not going to be found culpable, but I’m absolutely willing to change my mind if I find evidence of it.”
That’s all you had to say.
And then where is the wall, Jack? I thought the wall was going to be done by now. Remember, we saw all that stuff that Joe Biden let rust, and we had to go buy it. And President Donald Trump said …
Fowler: We bought it back, right?
Hanson: Yeah. It’s somewhat [done], but we want to get it done before the Democratics come back in power. That was her prime objective, and we didn’t get it done.
Then there is when she showed up at that high-security Latin American prison in what, Guatemala was it?
Fowler: El Salvador.
Hanson: Oh, it was El Salvador. Not Guatemala. It was El Salvador. And if you’re going to walk among the most dangerous people in the world, then I would try to play down my personal femininity, and I would be more bureaucratic.
Fowler: It seemed more like Hillary at that point.
Hanson: Yes. What I’m saying is Tulsi Gabbard is a very attractive woman, but when you see her, she looks natural. You know what I’m saying? It doesn’t look like she’s trying to be suggestive. And so that hurt her.
And then she had these campaign ads, and they centered on her, on horses and everything. And now she spent, she had budget. I don’t think she spent it all, but $250 million. Is that what, $240 million?
Fowler: It’s a lot of money.
Hanson: And there were accusations that some of the companies that were making …
