CNN’s Enten: Kristi Noem Was A Political Nightmare For Trump, Never Had Positive Approval Rating
CNN data analyst Harry Enten looks at the president’s decision to fire DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, who was a “political nightmare for the president,” according to polls.
HARRY ENTEN, CNN CHIEF DATA REPORTER: Yes. There were a lot of other things going on. The American people wanted her fired, they wanted her removed. She was a political nightmare for the president of the United States. I mean, just take a look at this, wanted Noem removed as DHS secretary, overall, last month, Quinnipiac University found the majority of Americans, 58 percent wanted to be adios amigos, goodbye, see you later. Among independents, you can see it right here, 62 percent of independents, we’re talking more than three and five independents, want her kicked to the curb. So, Donald Trump here making the politically popular move because Americans were, simply put, sick of Kristi Noem. JOHN BERMAN, CNN: And this was well before this testimony that was so controversial. All right, how about her approval rating, how has that tracked? ENTEN: Yes, how has that tracked? Look, the idea that Kristi Noem is unpopular is not a new phenomenon. It’s one that is dated all the way back to the beginning of Trump’s second term. I mean, just take a look here. Okay, Kristi Noem’s net popularity rating during Donald Trump’s term, positive, none, zero, nada, none of the polls did she have a positive net approval rating. In all of the polls, she was underwater, swimming in the deep blue sea. She had a negative net popularity rating in every single poll conducted during Donald Trump’s second term. Simply put, Americans did not like the job that she was doing as DHS secretary. And, recently, the clear majority of Americans, about three in five, wanted her kicked to the curb, fired, as I said, by Donald Trump. So, again, Trump doing what the American people wanted him to do. BERMAN: You talk about her job as secretary of Homeland Security. The immigration efforts that the president has been pushing, in theory, largely fall under Homeland Security’s umbrella. How has that effort been greeted by the American people lately? ENTEN: Yes. This idea that Donald Trump could somehow contain Kristi Noem to just, you know, her own little part of the world, right, and it wouldn’t affect him, that is political fantasy. Kristi Noem was hurting Donald Trump in office on his key — one of his key top issues that got him elected president of the United States. I mean, just take a look at Trump’s net approval rating on immigration. You go back a little bit over a year ago, he was on the plus side of the ledger, look at that, two thumbs up, plus seven points. But, again, down he goes in large part because Kristi Noem’s efforts, look at this, minus 17 points on the net approval rating on a key issue for Donald Trump, one that got him elected to his second term. And among independents, he went from plus three net approval on immigration all the way down to minus 30 points. I mean, my goodness gracious, on a key issue that independents had trusted Donald Trump on over Kamala Harris, and Krist Noem’s efforts, simply put, killed, crushed Donald Trump on such a key issue for him. BERMAN: All right, so she’s out. The president’s going to nominate Oklahoma Senator Markwayne Mullin. If he is confirmed, that means there will be an open Senate seat in Oklahoma. There’s a process, it’ll be filled for a time being, but it’ll be on the ballot in November. BERMAN: He’s a Republican. Open seat. What are the chances that Republicans hold that seat? ENTEN: Yes. I think the best part of Trump nominating Markwayne Mullin for this seat is, you know, if you nominated somebody from, let’s say a purple state, there might be the chance that Republicans could lose that race. That is not going to happen in Oklahoma. Just take a look here at the Kalshi odds, right, prediction markets, chance that GOP wins the Oklahoma Senate race in 2026. Look at that, 95 percent chance. David Boren was the last Democrat elected from Oklahoma, and that was all the way back in 1990. Oklahoma is a red state and will continue to be red.
