{"id":154857,"date":"2026-03-06T01:43:16","date_gmt":"2026-03-06T01:43:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/154857\/"},"modified":"2026-03-06T01:43:16","modified_gmt":"2026-03-06T01:43:16","slug":"noems-answer-on-sexual-relations-with-lewandowski-was-final-straw-for-trump-sources-say","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/154857\/","title":{"rendered":"Noem’s answer on ‘sexual relations’ with Lewandowski was ‘final straw’ for Trump, sources say"},"content":{"rendered":"

WASHINGTON \u2014 The \u201cfinal straw\u201d prompting President Trump to fire Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem was her\u00a0stunning non-answer\u00a0<\/a>at a House hearing Wednesday about whether she had\u00a0\u201csexual relations\u201d with top aide Corey Lewandowski<\/a>, sources inside and close to the White House told The Post.<\/p>\n

Trump had been nearing a boiling point in his frustration with Noem and already was considering ousting her after she claimed to senators Tuesday that he approved $220 million in ads starring herself \u2014 but her inability to answer the question sealed her fate.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe question about the affair at the hearing was actually the final straw. It was f\u2014ing brutal,\u201d one source said of Noem\u2019s reply, which was widely seen as an admission that she was sleeping with her subordinate. Her husband of 34 years Bryon Noem had joined her at the hearing.<\/p>\n

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem was fired Thursday after a pair of disastrous congressional hearings. REUTERS<\/p>\n

\u201cIt kept mounting up,\u201d said another source, who agreed that it was the final straw.<\/p>\n

A third source said, \u201cThere was just no going back with the two hearings. It all became about her and him.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lewandowski himself told The Post he wasn\u2019t sure what role the alleged affair played.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re asking me to speculate on things that I have no insight into,\u201d he said when reached by phone.<\/p>\n

Trump\u2019s ouster of Noem \u2014 the first cabinet shakeup of his second term \u2014 came shortly after he\u00a0told Reuters that she lied<\/a>\u00a0to Congress about his approval of advertising spending, giving the impression that was the core reason for his decision to swap her out for Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.).<\/p>\n

\u201cI never knew anything about it,\u201d Trump told the outlet.<\/p>\n

The final straw was Noem refusing to deny an affair with top aide Corey Lewandowski at a Wednesday hearing attended by her husband Bryon, center, AP<\/p>\n

Some of the ad money flowed to a company run by the husband of Noem\u2019s then-spokeswoman.\u00a0One ad featured Noem on horseback, riding in front of the iconic Mount Rushmore, which sits in her home state of South Dakota.<\/p>\n

And her voice-over featured tough words: \u201cYou cross the border illegally, we\u2019ll find you. Break our laws, we\u2019ll punish. You harm American citizens, there will be consequences. But if you come here the right way, your American dream can be as big as these endless guys.<\/p>\n

Trump was also infuriated by Noem claiming he approved $220 million in ads starring Noem. Getty Images<\/p>\n

From\u00a0President\u00a0Trump\u00a0and\u00a0me:\u00a0Welcome\u00a0home.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sources said that the ad issue was indeed a key motivation for Trump, though her poor handling of the affair query removed any doubt.<\/p>\n

Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) told reporters after Noem\u2019s termination that Trump was \u201cmad as a murder hornet\u201d and considering replacing her with Mullin on Tuesday night after her Senate testimony \u2014 though he didn\u2019t do so until Thursday following her disastrous House testimony on Wednesday.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe president, when he called me Tuesday night, the night of the hearing, when he was mad as a murder hornet, he asked me what I thought about Markwayne,\u201d Kennedy said.<\/p>\n

Lewandowski served as Noem\u2019s de facto chief of staff and terrified fellow DHS staff. Getty Images<\/p>\n

For her part, Noem maintained a strong public facade. She spoke to a law enforcement conference in Nashville minutes after she was fired and kept it to business as usual.<\/p>\n

She thanked Trump in a statement for her new appointment\u00a0as the Special Envoy for the Shield of the Americas.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn this new role, I will be able to build on the partnerships and national security expertise, I forged over my time as Secretary of Homeland Security. We have made historic accomplishments at the Department of Homeland Security to make America safe again,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Trump was already aware of Noem\u2019s relationship with Lewandowski, who served as his first campaign manager in 2016, and has\u00a0joked about it for years<\/a>\u00a0\u2014 but viewed her handling of the affair question as a disaster for her already crumbling credibility.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s the latest on the firing of Kristi Noem<\/p>\n

Noem and Lewandowski began to lose influence in January when a second anti-deportation activist, Alex Pretti, was killed by federal agents in Minneapolis, following the earlier shooting of Renee Good. Trump sent in the pair\u2019s internal rival, border czar Tom Homan, to calm and wind down the local operation.<\/p>\n

An administration official said: \u201cReplacing Kristi was based on the culmination of her many unfortunate leadership failures including the fallout in Minnesota, the ad campaign, the allegations of infidelity, the mismanagement of her staff, and her constant feuding with the heads of other agencies, including CBP and ICE.<\/p>\n

Noem and Lewandowski have carried on a years-long affair. David Sands\/Facebook<\/p>\n

\u201cKristi\u2019s drama sadly overshadowed and distracted from the Administration\u2019s extremely popular immigration agenda, which will continue full force.\u201d<\/p>\n

Noem clashed with several officials inside DHS, including the acting heads of ICE and FEMA. Several senior staff \u2013 longtime government employees with years of experience \u2013 fled the department under her tenure, citing her management policies.\u00a0<\/p>\n

She also had a contentious relationship with Trump\u2019s border czar Tom Homan as the two fueded on the best approach to tackle the country\u2019s illegal immigration problem and deportation operation.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Ex-Secretary Kristi Noem\u2019s most memorable photo ops during her tenure at DHS:<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Kristi Kristi Noem trains with the Maritime Security Response Team West during a visit to Coast Guard Cutter Elm, in San Diego, CA, March 16, 2025. U.S. Coast Guard District 11\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Noem Noem conducts a firefighting simulation at Coast Guard Base Kodiak, in Kodiak, Alaska, March 17, 2025.DHS photo by Mikaela McGee\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\tAdvertisement\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Kristi Kristi Noem rides an all-terrain vehicle (ATV) along the U.S.-Mexico Border Wall in El Paso, Texas, April 28, 2025. DHS photo by Tia Dufour\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Kristi Kristi Noem observes federal law enforcement and their partners assisting with immigration enforcement efforts in Chantilly, VA, March 4, 2025.DHS photo by Mikaela McGee\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\" Kristi Noem rides on the USCG MSRT Small Boat in South Bay, San Diego, California, March 16, 2025.DHS photo by Tia Dufour\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\tAdvertisement\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Kristi Kristi Noem takes a horse tour with Border Patrol agents in Brownsville, TX, Jan. 7, 2026.DHS photo by Mikaela McGee\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Noem Noem boards the US Coast Guard Cutter Escanaba for a meeting on drug interdiction on June 24, 2025 in Panama City.POOL\/AFP via Getty Images\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\" Kristi Noem speaks during a tour of the Terrorist Confinement Center (CECOT) as prisoners stand, looking out from a cell, in Tecoluca, El Salvador, on March 26, 2025.POOL\/AFP via Getty Images\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\tAdvertisement\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Noem Noem riding a camel during a trip to Qal\u2019at al-Bahrain Fort in Bahrain on May 25, 2025.Getty Images\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Noem Noem dancing during a trip to Buenos Aires, Argentina on July 29, 2025.Photo by Alex Brandon-Pool\/Getty Images\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"United Noem throwing a coin in Rome\u2019s Trevi Fountain on May 23, 2025.Getty Images\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\tAdvertisement\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Noem Noem piloting a boat in Manama, Bahrain on May 25, 2025.Getty Images\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"DHS DHS Secretary Kristi Noem seen riding a horse in front of Mount Rushmore for a DHS ad on Oct. 2, 2025.DHS photo by Tia Dufour\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\tAdvertisement\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

Lewandowksi, who led a reign of terror at DHS while serving as Noem\u2019s de facto chief of staff, despite being an unpaid special government employee, is now likely out of a job at DHS.<\/p>\n

One source said they \u201cdon\u2019t know who would want him.\u201d<\/p>\n

But a different source said they suspect that Lewandowski, whom Trump has periodically dropped then welcomed back into the fold before, eventually will find his way back into a position of power.<\/p>\n

For his part, Lewandowski downplayed\u00a0his influence at the department<\/a>, saying he was merely an \u201cunpaid volunteer\u201d for Trump\u2019s White House.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI haven\u2019t made that decision,\u201d Lewandowski said, when asked if he\u2019ll stay on with the Trump administration.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"WASHINGTON \u2014 The \u201cfinal straw\u201d prompting President Trump to fire Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem was her\u00a0stunning non-answer\u00a0at…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":154858,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[33683,153,2036,9,11,10,87,58],"class_list":["post-154857","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-new-york","tag-corey-lewandowski","tag-donald-trump","tag-kristi-noem","tag-new-york","tag-new-york-headlines","tag-new-york-news","tag-politics","tag-us-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/154857","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=154857"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/154857\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/154858"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=154857"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=154857"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=154857"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}