After President Donald Trump announced he will replace Kristi Noem as Homeland Security Secretary with Oklahoma Republican Representative Markwayne Mullin, Illinois Governor JB Pritzker mocked her with a fake LinkedIn profile.
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.
In a video message, Pritzker said:
"Hey, Kristi Noem, don't let the door hit you on the way out. Here's your legacy: corruption and chaos, parents and children tear-gassed, moms and nurses, U.S. citizens getting shot in the face."
"Now that you're gone, don't think you just get to walk away. I guarantee you will still be held accountable."
You can see his video below.
He also shared a screenshot of a fake LinkedIn profile that describes Noem as #OpenToWork and as:
"DHS Secretary (Former) / Public Speaker / Unlicensed Dog Euthanizer"
You can see his post below.
@JBPritzker/X
People immediately knew what that was referencing—Noem once killed her "untrainable" 14-month-old puppy, Cricket, because she wasn't good at hunting and was too excitable.
Noem laid out the decision to kill the dog in her memoir No Going Back. She wrote that “Cricket was a wirehair pointer, about 14 months old" with an “aggressive personality." She said she "hated" the "untrainable" dog and decided to shoot Cricket after taking her to a gravel pit.
The disturbing anecdote first garnered attention after The Guardian reported on it, noting that Noem also wrote about killing a goat she claimed was "nasty and mean" and “loved to chase” Noem's children.
Noem has defended the decision to kill her dog, framing the story as an example of the grimmer aspects of farm life that sometimes have to be faced. She said she has "never passed on my responsibilities to anyone else to handle" and that she had simply "followed the law and was being a responsible parent, dog owner, and neighbor."
People loved Pritzker's response and mocked Noem themselves.
The Democrats' official X account also weighed in with an #OpenToWork jab at Noem.
It's good to see Noem get knocked down a peg.
@PatrickkkkKim/X
@cookedabsolute/X
@MichellesDude/X
@rgsmither/X
@mmgram; @tbeaumont/Bluesky
@ronwitte/Bluesky
@robg276/Threads
@hendley95/Bluesky
@aj1368/Bluesky
@ehhoffman/Threads
@andyross1962/Bluesky
@jw1958/Bluesky
@will_revanda/Threads
@anonymoustroll/Bluesky
@stinkfootjr; @mugsysrapsheet/Bluesky
@VP/X
