Trump picks Kristi Noem as his Homeland Security secretary

State of play: Trump released a statement Tuesday evening confirming Noem's appointment, praising her as "very strong on border security."

• Noem thanked the president-elect in a post on X and said she looked forward to working to "make America SAFE again."
• CNN first reported her appointment ahead of the announcement and Axios confirmed it.

The big picture: Noem's experiences dealing with immigration and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) prepared her for the role, a source close to the governor told Axios.

• Noem was the first governor to deploy state National Guard troops to the U.S.-Mexico border in Texas.
• She has coordinated with FEMA — the largest budget division of DHS — to oversee multiple disaster responses during her time as governor, including flooding events, tornados and wildfires, the source added.
• Noem also took the lead in efforts to ban TikTok, barring it from state-owned devices — an initiative Congress later mirrored, the source noted.

Zoom out: The Department of Homeland Security will be key to executing Trump's mass deportation plans, which are expected to make use of multiple federal agencies.

• Trump also tapped Tom Homan, the former acting head of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), to serve as his new administration's "border czar."

Go deeper: House members needle Noem with launch of "Dog Lovers Caucus"

Editor's note: This story was updated with statements from Trump and Noem.