Oklahoma Republican Senator Markwayne Mullin was widely mocked after he made a comment about his own intelligence that had critics facepalming and nodding along.
Earlier this month, President Donald Trump announced he will replace Kristi Noem as Homeland Security Secretary with Mullin. Trump said Noem will instead take on the role of Special Envoy to the Shield of the Americas, a newly created organization intended to foster a right-wing alliance across South America.
Noem’s removal comes after sharp criticism from both parties over her leadership during Trump’s immigration crackdown, as well as scrutiny surrounding her use of millions in taxpayer funds on videos widely viewed as self-promotional.
When asked how he would turn down the heat on the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) even while pledging to support the Trump administration's mass deportation agenda, Mullin replied:
"I love Noem's family and I consider them friends but everybody has different leadership styles. Throughout my businesses, when I would have to transfer from one manager to the next or one executive to another area and bring in a different one, they all have different management styles."
"My management style is empowering people and, as I said in my opening statement, I want to protect the homeland, I want to bring peace of mind, and I want to bring confidence back to the agency. I'm not gonna be the smartest guy in any room I walk into."
You can hear what he said in the video below.
It was a self-own that said it all.
Mullin was a "business owner" and "cow-calf rancher" in Oklahoma before running for office, according to his website. He "grew up on his family’s ranch in Westville where he and his family still reside to this day" and attended Missouri Valley College on a wrestling scholarship until he was 20.
His résumé does little to inspire confidence, especially when he's known to lie on the air. Although he has no military experience, Mullin made headlines earlier this month for defending the Trump administration's war with Iran, waxing poetic about "the smell of war."
Trump would like Mullin to take the reins by the end of the month—and it's going to be a bumpy ride.







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