Laura Ingraham questions why Trump didn’t fire Kristi Noem 'right away?’

WASHINGTON, DC: Fox News’ Laura Ingraham questioned why President Donald Trump waited so long to fire Kristi Noem. On Thursday, March 5, Trump removed Noem as Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security and quickly nominated Senator Markwayne Mullin to replace her.

Ingraham also highlighted that Noem spent $220 million on a DHS television ad featuring herself on a horse.

Laura Ingraham asks, 'Why drag this out?'

On Thursday’s edition of 'The Ingraham Angle' on Fox News, host Laura Ingraham highlighted remarks by Kristi Noem about the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti in Minneapolis, noting that Noem initially labeled him a “domestic te**orist” after the incident, a characterization that has been widely disputed.

Ingraham asked Fox News contributor and Former White House Secretary Ari Fleischer why Trump had waited so long to fire Noem. “Why didn’t they fire her right away?” she asked. “Because that would have given a scalp to those who were actually trying to hinder and impede ICE on the streets? Why drag this out?”

Fleischer argued that the backlash over Noem’s expensive television advertising and her handling of the Minnesota shootings, which included criticism of her leadership, may have pushed the president to act.

“Well, because I think the president is reluctant to let people go, and especially on his singular issue,” he said. “So, I think the advertisement piece we heard yesterday is also what tipped the president over. She was on thin ice after Minnesota.”

Ari Fleischer explains why Trump replaced Kristi Noem

Ari Fleischer offered insight into why President Donald Trump decided to replace Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. Speaking on 'The Ingraham Angle,' Fleischer said the administration had begun losing trust in the information coming from the Department of Homeland Security.

Fleischer explained that Trump acted because he worried his top campaign issue, immigration, was starting to lose political traction. 

“Immigration was the president’s biggest winning issue going into the campaign and he didn’t want to see it turning into a losing issue,” he said. Trump’s strategy had long relied on immigration, making any decline in public support particularly concerning.

“The street confrontations, all the violence on the streets… made the president start to see he’s losing support,” Fleischer said, noting that images and reports of clashes tied to immigration enforcement or protests could damage the administration’s political standing.

According to Fleischer, the decision to remove Noem reflected a broader breakdown in confidence within the administration rather than a single mistake or isolated event. “They didn’t trust the information they were getting from Homeland Security,” he added.