There’s a point where optics cross the line into absurdity—and Megyn Kelly made it crystal clear this week that Kristi Noem has barreled straight past that line. On her SiriusXM podcast, The Megyn Kelly Show, Kelly tore into the Department of Homeland Security Secretary for turning serious immigration enforcement operations into social media highlight reels.
Here’s the deal: Noem, appointed by President Trump for her loyalty and firebrand conservatism, has been popping up on the frontlines of ICE raids like she’s auditioning for an action movie. This week, she joined a multi-agency arrest in Phoenix where three illegal migrants with criminal records were detained. Cameras were rolling, and—surprise—Noem was front and center again, sharing photos and video like it was campaign content.
“It is not helpful to Team Trump in these courts everyday to have the DHS Secretary be like, ‘I think he did human trafficking’ and next thing you know that guy’s in El Salvador in prison…”
Megyn reacts to Kristi Noem's latest cosplaying and saying she "thinks" he's a human… pic.twitter.com/WUIN9Q1W0a
— The Megyn Kelly Show (@MegynKellyShow) April 10, 2025
Megyn Kelly didn’t mince words. “She’s doing a great job,” Kelly said of Noem’s actual administrative work. “But stop trying to glamorize the mission and put yourself in the middle of it as you cosplay ICE agent, which you’re not!”
And that’s the truth—she’s not. ICE and CBP agents are highly trained professionals risking their lives in dangerous operations. The last thing they need is a photo-hungry political appointee with a camera crew putting herself and others at risk. During the Phoenix raid, one of the migrants even attempted to kick Noem. Predictable. When you inject vanity into volatile situations, chaos follows.
Kelly’s criticism went even deeper, striking at the core of why these kinds of political stunts are not just annoying—they’re dangerous. “Nobody ever wants the extra lady who doesn’t actually belong,” Kelly noted, speaking plainly and accurately. These men and women train for years to handle these missions. They don’t need a camera-ready figurehead turning enforcement into theater.
Megyn Kelly is right about Kristi Noem. She’s doing a good job but she needs to stop cosplaying as some sort of agent. Life isn’t a Hollywood movie. pic.twitter.com/ToZbuQhnr4
— Ian Miles Cheong (@stillgray) April 10, 2025
And while Noem prances around with a badge she didn’t earn, there are lives—American lives—on the line every single day. This isn’t about being “tough on immigration” in a filtered Instagram post. It’s about upholding the integrity of our enforcement agencies and keeping our officers safe.
For the record, Noem also announced plans this week to waive environmental restrictions and build 2.5 miles of border wall along the California-Mexico border. Great. Build it. That’s real action. But if you need a camera crew to validate every move, the question becomes: is this really about border security, or is it about political branding?