A man got a surprising answer after asking AI why Kristi Noem was fired by President Donald Trump.
The 54-year-old was removed from her role as US homeland security secretary last week and has been replaced by Republican senator Markwayne Mullin of Oklahoma.
Trump confirmed the change on Thursday (March 5) in a post on Truth Social, announcing that Mullin is set to take over on March 31, 2026.
“A MAGA Warrior, and former undefeated professional MMA fighter, Markwayne truly gets along well with people, and knows the Wisdom and Courage required to Advance our America First Agenda,” Trump wrote.
Despite the dismissal, Noem was not pushed entirely out of the administration. Instead, she was reassigned to a new role as special envoy for the Shield of the Americas.
The 79-year-old president publicly praised her service, writing that she “has served us well, and has had numerous and spectacular results (especially on the Border!)”.
YouTuber Asks AI What Really Happened
Curious about the real reason behind Noem’s removal, a YouTuber known as I Ask AI turned to ChatGPT for answers.
The AI analysis looked at several controversies tied to Noem’s time in the administration, including her congressional hearing and strict immigration enforcement policies.
Among the incidents highlighted were her controversial comments describing Renee Nicole Good and Alex Pretti as “domestic terrorists,” per NBC News.
It also referenced spending decisions during her time in office, including $300 million on luxury jets and a $220 million advertising campaign encouraging people in the United States illegally to leave voluntarily, per Reuters.
During congressional questioning, Noem told lawmakers that Trump had approved the campaign beforehand. However, a White House spokesperson later said the president “did not sign [it] off”.
One issue the AI did not mention, however, was allegations of a personal relationship between Noem and Corey Lewandowski, a former Trump campaign manager who served as a senior adviser within the department.
AI Suggests The Hearing Was Only The “Final Straw”
After examining the controversies, the YouTuber asked the chatbot whether the congressional hearing was the reason she was fired.
The AI responded with a blunt explanation: “The hearing was the final straw, not the root cause. Trump’s frustrations with Noem had been building for months, and NBC reported that his irritation specifically mounted after her testimony this week.”
The chatbot then offered a more general assessment of the president’s decision-making style, saying: “But let’s be real about how Trump operates. He doesn’t fire people over bad policy or even dead civilians. He fires people when they become politically damaging to him personally. And that’s exactly what happened.
“Noem turned immigration, which was supposed to be Trump’s strongest issue, into a political disaster. Half the country now wants to abolish ICE, according to polling. That’s a staggering collapse in public support for what should have been a layup for this administration,” it added.
It continued by referencing the controversies that had surrounded her leadership and pointed to the criticism she got from both political parties.
“The bipartisan anger is what really sealed it. When Republicans like Tillis, Murkowski, and Kennedy are publicly torching your cabinet secretary, that’s not a policy disagreement. That’s a political emergency,” it said.
According to the AI’s explanation, the congressional hearing simply exposed the situation publicly.
“She came across as evasive, defensive, and unable to justify her own spending or her own words. Trump watched his DHS secretary get dismantled by members of his own party on live television, and that was enough,” AI concluded.
White House Points To “Leadership Failures”
A White House official who spoke to NBC News said Noem’s dismissal was due to “a culmination of her many unfortunate leadership failures,” which included “allegations of infidelity”.
“Kristi’s drama sadly overshadowed and distracted from the Administration’s extremely popular immigration agenda, which will continue full force,” they said.
Thank you @POTUS Trump for appointing me as the Special Envoy for the Shield of the Americas. @SecRubio and @SecWar are incredible leaders and I look forward to working with them closely to dismantle cartels that have poured drugs into our nation and killed our children and…
— Kristi Noem (@KristiNoem) March 5, 2026
Following the announcement, Noem shared a statement thanking the president for appointing her to the new position.
“The Western Hemisphere is absolutely critical for U.S. security. In this new role, I will be able to build on the partnerships and national security expertise, I forged over the last 13 months as Secretary of Homeland Security,” she said.
She also defended her record leading the department: “We have made historic accomplishments at the Department of Homeland Security to make America safe again.”
“We delivered the MOST secure border in American history, 3 million illegal aliens have left the U.S., we have located 145,000 children, FEMA delivered disaster relief at a 100% faster rate, we ushered in the golden age of travel, saved the American taxpayer $13 billion and revitalized the U.S. Coast Guard,” she claimed.
Meanwhile, Markwayne Mullin said the appointment came as a surprise, telling reporters: “It’s humbling…because it happened quick, I had to call my dad, and it’s just pretty humbling when you start thinking about it, a little kid from west Oklahoma getting to serve in the president’s cabinet. That is pretty neat.”
