Politics > Kristi Noem

The Dangerous Allure of Being a Government Influencer

The new Homeland Security secretary hopefully can avoid the temptations that felled Kristi Noem.

Daniel Mynyk | March 27, 2026

“Show me the incentive, and I’ll show you the outcome,” Charlie Munger told a Harvard crowd in 1995.  The former Berkshire Hathaway official was explaining how to motivate employees.  For the hallowed halls of government, this most fitting business principle can manifest like the serpent in the Garden of Eden.  The incentives can be potent.  The outcome can be devastating.

Consider secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem.  She was my hero in the early days of the 2020 pandemic.  I watched her as the governor of South Dakota buck the crowd.  She bravely opposed lockdown orders and mask mandates.  Her state was an experiment in federalism and a test case against scientism.  Noem fought establishment paranoia even before Florida governor Ron DeSantis came aboard in the fall.

After the 2024 election I was overjoyed that Trump had picked Noem for a position in his Cabinet.  “Finally!” I thought.  “Someone who opposed pandemic tyranny will have a respectable place in government!”  My excitement soared when Trump further appointed Jay Bhattacharya to be director of the National Institutes of Health.  Pinch me!  Was I dreaming?  A new day was surely dawning!

A government influencer hero

Unfortunately, we don’t know much about what executive Cabinet officials do.  How many of us truly understand the daily tasks of the secretary of Homeland Security?  We assume he “keeps us safe” somehow.  All we can see is what the secretary reports.

Naturally, one of the biggest perks of heading a federal department is public relations.  Whether it’s throwing red meat on major news networks or posing for ads, the face and the job are inseparable.  For officials who love seeing their own face everywhere, this perk is irresistible.

Enter social media.  Making a living on X or Facebook is the fever dream of many Millennials and Gen Z.  Few break through and succeed.  Yet once someone tastes the status of “influencer” with a platform of millions of followers, greener pastures lie ahead.  Why be a mere opinion factory when you can be a personality idol?

Hollywood actors have looks and skills on the big screen.  Talented singers draw crowds to admire their voices.  A secretary of Homeland Security can be this type of celebrity.  But the quality isn’t mere talent.  It’s being a national hero.  That’s hard to top.

Adoring fans devouring your heroic words is the ultimate perk. Being the star of a $220-million ad campaign where you ride a horse and save the country from danger is a photo op worthy of the big screen.  Yet this isn’t a mere movie.  It’s supposed to be real life.  In a sense, it’s a cut above Hollywood and Nashville.

This tantalizing perk has its limits, especially in a Trump administration.  Remember Trump’s catchphrase from the TV show The Apprentice?  “You’re fired!”  In his crushing debate against Joe Biden on June 27, 2024, Trump blasted him for not firing military officials for blunders.  If Trump trusts you with the keys to the kingdom, you’d best not violate that trust.  You don’t just lose a job.  You lose face.

On March 3, Senator John Kennedy pressed Secretary Noem on her extravagant ad campaign.  His questions backed her into a corner.  She claimed that Trump had approved the self-serving commercial that made her look like femme fatale John Wayne.  Trump was furious that Noem put words in his mouth.  Apparently, he never gave the thumbs-up for the ad.

Noem became the first Cabinet member that Trump “reassigned” since Mike Waltz in May 2025.  Her lavish ad spending brought accusations of ethics violations.  The Strategy Group, a consulting firm with ties to her South Dakota gubernatorial campaign, got a contract.  Speculation of an affair with her political adviser Corey Lewandowski only furthered her demise.  Prior success and political capital can’t overcome disgrace and scandal.  That’s the dangerous downside of being a government influencer.

Noem’s constituents are patriotic Americans — many of them Christians, as I am.  We’re not keen on Hollywood gimmicks.  Jesus said not to blast trumpets about yourself to get people to praise you (Matt. 6:2).  We want conservative policy without cushy government largess.  Treat the job as a humble servant’s duty.  Cabinet members are there to battle corruption.  We want results.

A warning to the successor

Trump appointed Oklahoma senator Markwayne Mullin to take the mantle.  As a former MMA champion fighter, he has credentials for grit and perseverance.  His family runs a plumbing business, but Kyle Griffin of MS NOW thinks his lack of a Bachelor’s degree is a problem.

Mullin’s first significant test for handling the job was a confirmation hearing kerfuffle with Senator Rand Paul (another pandemic hero).  In 2017, a hostile neighbor seriously injured Paul.  Mullin added insult to injury by calling Paul “a freaking snake” and empathizing with the neighbor.  Paul should have discussed this with Mullin in private rather than airing it at the hearing.  He played video footage from 2023 of Mullin challenging Teamsters president Sean O’Brien to a fight.  Showing he could heal the past, Mullin pointed to O'Brien sitting behind him in support.

I have an admonition and warning for newly confirmed DHS secretary Mullin.  Please learn the lesson from Noem.  Avoid the temptations of being a government influencer.  Don’t disappoint us.  We’re watching.

Daniel Mynyk is a software engineer, a podcaster, and a writer.  He has published two books and has contributed to The American Spectator, The Upper Room, The Thinking Conservative, and the Libertarian Christian Institute.

Image: Kristi Noem.  Credit: Gage Skidmore via Flickr, CC BY-SA 2.0.

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