Trump personally rejects Noem firing rumor, praises DHS chief
At a Dec. 10 White House roundtable, Trump personally rejected reports he was considering replacing DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, saying he is “so happy” with her and calling her “fantastic,” while the White House labeled the report “total Fake News.” He also defended War Secretary Pete Hegseth as “phenomenal,” and DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin dismissed the story, quipping she has “seen more credible reporting on Big Foot.”
📌 Key Facts
- At a Dec. 10 White House roundtable, Trump said he is "so happy" with DHS Secretary Kristi Noem and called her "fantastic," explicitly rejecting reports he was considering replacing her.
- Trump's remarks were a direct denial of a report that he was weighing replacing Noem.
- Trump also denied dissatisfaction with War Secretary Pete Hegseth over maritime strikes, calling Hegseth "phenomenal."
- DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin dismissed the initial report in a quip to Fox News Digital, saying she has "seen more credible reporting on Big Foot."
- The coverage comes from a Fox News story titled "Trump declares support for Cabinet official after report he is considering replacement," published Dec. 11, 2025.
📊 Relevant Data
Southwest border encounters in fiscal year 2025 were 238,000, which is significantly lower than previous years, with October 2025 encounters 95% lower than the daily average under the previous administration.
Illegal US-Mexico border crossings hit lowest level in over 50 years — BBC
The ICE detention population reached a record high of 61,200 people as of August 24, 2025, amid expansions in detention capacity.
U.S. Immigrant Detention Grows to Record — Migration Policy Institute
Congress approved funding in 2025 to increase immigrant detention capacity to potentially more than 100,000 beds, doubling from about 56,000.
Budget Bill Massively Increases Funding for Immigration Detention — Brennan Center
Multiple governors accused the Trump administration in July 2025 of stalling disaster recovery aid, pushing states to find alternative funding without traditional FEMA support.
Governors accuse Trump admin of stalling disaster recovery — Axios
The U.S. immigrant population declined from 53.3 million in January 2025 to 51.9 million in June 2025, marking the first decline since the 1960s, with diverse and immigrant populations driving post-pandemic demographic rebound including 1% growth in Black population and 0.4% in American Indian and Alaska Native population.
Growing diverse and immigrant populations drove the nation's post-pandemic demographic rebound, new census data show — Brookings Institution
📰 Sources (2)
- Trump, in a Dec. 10 White House roundtable, said he is "so happy" with DHS Secretary Kristi Noem and called her "fantastic," explicitly rejecting reports he was considering replacing her.
- Trump also denied dissatisfaction with War Secretary Pete Hegseth over maritime strikes, calling him "phenomenal."
- DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin dismissed the initial report in a quip to Fox News Digital, saying she has "seen more credible reporting on Big Foot."