Kristi Noem facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Kristi Noem
Official portrait, 2025
United States Special Envoy for The Shield of the Americas
Designate
Assuming office TBD
President	Donald Trump
Succeeding	Office established
8th United States Secretary of Homeland Security
In office January 25, 2025 – March 31, 2026
President	Donald Trump
Deputy	Troy Edgar
Preceded by	Alejandro Mayorkas
33rd Governor of South Dakota
In office January 5, 2019 – January 25, 2025
Lieutenant	Larry Rhoden
Preceded by	Dennis Daugaard
Succeeded by	Larry Rhoden
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from South Dakota's at-large district
In office January 3, 2011 – January 3, 2019
Preceded by	Stephanie Herseth Sandlin
Succeeded by	Dusty Johnson
Member of the South Dakota House of Representatives from the 6th district
In office January 9, 2007 – January 3, 2011
Preceded by	Art Fryslie
Succeeded by	Burt Tulson
Personal details
Born	Kristi Lynn Arnold (1971-11-30) November 30, 1971 (age 54) Watertown, South Dakota, U.S.
Political party	Republican
Spouse	Bryon Noem ​ (m. 1992)​
Children	3
Education	South Dakota State University (BA)
Signature

Kristi Lynn Arnold Noem (born November 30, 1971) is an American politician. She was the 8th United States Secretary of Homeland Security from January 2025 until March 2026. Before that, she served as the 33rd governor of South Dakota from 2019 to 2025. She also represented South Dakota in the U.S. House of Representatives from 2011 to 2019.

Noem grew up in Watertown, South Dakota. She started her political career in the South Dakota House of Representatives. In 2018, she became the first woman governor of South Dakota. During the COVID-19 pandemic, she chose not to have statewide mask rules. She believed people should make their own choices. Noem is a member of the Republican Party. She holds conservative views on many topics, like gun rights.

She is a farmer and rancher. She also belongs to the Civil Air Patrol. In late 2024, President Donald Trump chose her to be the Secretary of Homeland Security. The Senate approved her for this role in January 2025. On March 5, 2026, President Trump announced that Noem was leaving her role as Secretary of Homeland Security. She was then assigned to a new position as United States Special Envoy for The Shield of the Americas.

Growing Up and Education

Kristi Lynn Arnold was born on November 30, 1971, in Watertown, South Dakota. She grew up on her family's farm and ranch near Hazel. Her family has Norwegian roots.

She went to Northern State University for a few years. In 1994, a sad accident happened. Her father passed away, and Kristi left college to help run the family farm. She later added a hunting lodge and restaurant to their business.

While working, she continued her studies. She took classes at different colleges and online. In 2012, while serving in Congress, she earned a college degree in political science from South Dakota State University.

Serving in South Dakota's Government

In 2006, Kristi Noem was elected to the South Dakota House of Representatives. She represented her local area as a Republican. She served for four years, from 2007 to 2010. During her time, she helped pass 11 new laws. These laws included changes to property taxes and ways to increase gun rights in South Dakota. She also became an assistant leader for her party.

Representing South Dakota in Congress (2011–2019)

In 2010, Noem ran for a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives. She won and represented South Dakota in Congress until 2019.

Noem during the 112th and 113th Congress

When she first joined Congress, Kristi Noem was chosen to work closely with the Republican leaders. Her job was to help make sure the government spent money wisely. She also helped manage the expectations of new members of Congress.

From 2013 to 2015, Noem was part of the House Armed Services Committee. This committee works on laws about the military. Her role helped Ellsworth Air Force Base in South Dakota.

Noem supported some of President Donald Trump's policies on immigration. She supported temporary limits on accepting people seeking safety from certain areas. In 2019, she agreed for South Dakota to continue taking part in a program that helps people settle in the U.S.

Committee Assignments

• Committee on Ways and Means
  • Subcommittee on Human Resources
  • Subcommittee on Select Revenue Measures

Caucus Memberships

• Republican Study Committee
• Congressional Arts Caucus
• Afterschool Caucuses
• Congressional Western Caucus

Governor of South Dakota (2019–2025)

In 2016, Noem decided to run for governor of South Dakota. She won the Republican primary election. Then, she won the general election in 2018. This made her the first woman to be governor of South Dakota.

Noem ran for reelection as governor in 2021. She won the Republican primary in June 2022. In the general election, she won again with a large number of votes. She set a record for the most votes received by a candidate for governor in South Dakota.

Her Time as Governor

Noem's gubernatorial portraits during her first (left) and second (right) term

Kristi Noem became governor of South Dakota on January 5, 2019.

Noem did not support government-funded childcare programs. She believed it was not the government's job to pay for or raise children. Her administration turned down federal money for summer meal programs for families with lower incomes.

Noem signed laws in 2019 that aimed to manage protests, especially those related to pipelines. These laws created a fund to help pay for policing protests. Some groups said these laws limited people's right to protest. As a result, some Native American tribes in South Dakota did not allow her on their lands.

During the COVID-19 pandemic in South Dakota, Noem took a mostly hands-off approach. She did not order statewide stay-at-home orders or mask mandates. She believed people should make their own choices. She used some pandemic relief funds to promote tourism.

In early 2020, a large COVID outbreak happened at a meatpacking plant in Sioux Falls. Noem said most infections were not happening inside the plant. She also did not require masks at a large event at Mount Rushmore in July 2020.

Noem visiting U.S. troops during the 2019 Golden Coyote Exercise at Rapid City, S.D., June 2019

In 2019, Noem signed a law that removed the need for a permit to carry a concealed handgun in South Dakota.

In 2022, Noem wanted to bring prayer back into schools. She supported a "prayer bill," but it was defeated in the House Education Committee.

Secretary of Homeland Security (2025–2026)

On November 12, 2024, President-elect Trump chose Kristi Noem to be the United States Secretary of Homeland Security. The Senate committee approved her nomination. On January 25, 2025, the Senate confirmed her appointment.

Noem being sworn in by Associate Justice Clarence Thomas in January 2025, with Governor of Louisiana Jeff Landry holding the Bible

Noem speaking to law enforcement agents during an ICE raid, 2025

Noem meeting with Karol Nawrocki in Jasionka, Poland, May 27, 2025

Noem meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem, Israel; May 25, 2025

One of Noem's first actions was to make changes to policies regarding people who had come to the U.S. seeking safety from countries like Venezuela, Cuba, Haiti, and Nicaragua.

In February 2025, Noem was interviewed about the new administration's policies. She discussed the Department of Homeland Security's work.

In June 2025, a news report stated that a company connected to Noem received a large contract for advertising from the Department of Homeland Security.

In March 2026, President Trump announced that Kristi Noem was leaving her role as Secretary of Homeland Security. This decision came after she faced criticism during a Senate hearing. The criticism was about her department's spending and management. She was then given a new role as "Special Envoy for The Shield of the Americas." Senator Markwayne Mullin was named as her replacement. Noem was the first Cabinet member to leave her post during Trump's second term.

Electoral History

Presidential Endorsements

2020 Presidential Election

In 2020, Kristi Noem supported the Trump-Pence ticket. She was initially chosen as one of South Dakota's electors but later withdrew. She questioned the fairness of the 2020 presidential election results. After the U.S. Capitol was attacked in January 2021, Noem spoke out against the violence.

2024 Presidential Election

Noem supported Donald Trump in the 2024 Republican Party presidential primaries in September 2023. She was considered as a possible running mate for Trump. In February 2024, she was among the top choices in a poll at a conservative conference. However, by June 2024, she was no longer on Trump's shortlist for running mates.

Personal Life

Kristi Noem married Bryon Noem in 1992. They have three children. When Noem moved to Washington, D.C., for her congressional job, her family continued to live on their ranch in South Dakota.

Noem is a Protestant. As of 2018, her family attended a Foursquare Church in Watertown. She is also a grandmother. In August 2024, Noem and her sister were honored by the Daughters of the American Revolution.

Memoirs

• Not My First Rodeo: Lessons from the Heartland (2022)
• No Going Back (2024)

See also

In Spanish: Kristi Noem para niños

• List of female governors in the United States
• Women in conservatism in the United States
• Women in the United States House of Representatives