Kristi Noem's Most Painfully Awkward Moments That Were Seen By Millions

Former Governor Kristi Noem was Donald Trump's pick for Homeland Security Secretary. Through her time in government, she has made a name for herself as a full-throated Trump supporter. Noem even seems to have gone full MAGA with her look, leading some to wonder whether she's had plastic surgery. Noem's time as a politician has put her in the public eye, and while there's no one who can do everything right all of the time, she seems to have found herself in a number of awkward situations. She's been banned from Native American tribal lands in South Dakota, the state where's she's from and which she was governor of before joining Trump's second administration. 

But then there are the embarrassing moments in Noem's life which were caught on film. What's worse is that some of these uncomfortable instances seem to be absolutely unforced errors; in other words, Noem did it to herself. So we don't feel so bad at pointing out the foibles where it feels like she really should have known better. From interviews to political events, these Noem moments have us watching through our fingers with secondhand embarrassment.

Donald Trump has had his fair share of awkward moments, particularly when it comes to dancing, and Kristi Noem got caught up in the embarrassment. Noem was moderating a town hall campaign event in Pennsylvania, and the event was put on hold when two people had medical emergencies. But instead of continuing with questions after those people received medical attention or just calling the whole thing off, Trump decided to dance to a selection of his favorite tunes on the stage for more than half an hour. And who was there next to him? Noem. She even joined in on the dancing a bit in a moment in what felt like an unending cringe fest.

This was a total disaster for his campaign. pic.twitter.com/qF8MLzXrjI

— Andrew—New YouTube Channel @LiveFromTheResistance (@AmoneyResists) October 15, 2024

There's no dance party with Trump that doesn't include "Y.M.C.A." by the Village People. At one point, as seen in a clip uploaded to YouTube, Noem tried to get Trump to do the actual dance moves to the chorus where everyone makes the letters. Trump doesn't ever really seem to do that, and even Noem's encouragement couldn't get him to follow the basic dance steps.

One YouTube commenter said of the moment, "I thought this was a fever dream. But no, it's just another day here in America." Someone on X (formerly known as Twitter) wrote: "Is that noem next to demented trump-clapping to music for 39 minutes. (most of which he's being sued for-ignoring cease and desist orders from playing)! Her supporters must be so proud!"

The relationship between Elon Musk and Donald Trump has now extended into Musk being given access to a wide range of government information under the auspices of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Not everyone is particularly happy about that, and those in Trump's administration are being asked about the situation. That includes Kristi Noem. In a CNN interview with Dana Bash in early February 2025, Noem ended up putting her foot in her mouth when discussing the issue of government overreach, integrity, and who should have access to sensitive confidential details about American citizens.

Bash said, "I remember a time when Republicans were very careful about and worried about the government, particularly unelected people, having access to personal data" (via X). To which Noem interrupted to respond, "Well, we can't trust our government anymore." Bash didn't miss the opportunity to remind Noem, "But you are the government."

Noem, somewhat inexplicably, went on to say, "Yes, that's what I'm saying." There seemed to be no awareness that what she'd said didn't really make sense. One person on X pointed out: "She is essentially saying 'we can't trust ourselves,' and/or 'you can't trust us.' Either way, it reflects horribly on this administration." Others think she's really showing her hand: "She doesn't sputter. She says very clearly we can't trust the government she is part of. Period" (via X).

Kristi Noem wrote "No Going Back: The Truth on What's Wrong with Politics and How We Move America Forward," and in the book, she revealed that she had shot her dog Cricket. Noem's confession of this questionable behavior may have tanked her chances for being Donald Trump's VP candidate.

Predictably, people asked questions about Noem's decision to kill her dog, who she'd described in the book as having an "aggressive personality" and being "less than worthless to us as a hunting dog." People also questioned why Noem included the incident at all. In one uncomfortable interview with Stuart Varney on Fox Business, where Noem as a Republican and Donald Trump supporter would presumably have an easy time, she was asked about the dog situation. She spoke in circles about her actions and increasing annoyance over the questions made the whole interview tense and hard to watch. It was when Varney pressed about whether or not Noem had talked to Trump about the dog story (Trump famously doesn't like dogs) that Noem finally snapped back, saying: "Enough Stuart, this interview is ridiculous, what you are doing right now. So you need to stop. It is."

People reacted on social media to Noem's discomfort. One person on X responded to the moment by saying, "Her plastic surgery, sadly, did nothing about her extremely thin skin." Another wrote, "Kristi seems pretty fragile. She can't face facts that SHE put out so how will she handle classified information she will receive."

Kristi Noem was confirmed as Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security on January 25, 2025. Three days later, she shared a video of herself on X wearing a tactical vest, captioned, "7 AM in NYC. Getting the dirt bags off the streets." She seemed to be implying that she herself would be knocking down doors as a part of an U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raid in the city.

7 AM in NYC. Getting the dirt bags off the streets. pic.twitter.com/AlDD819K89

— Secretary Kristi Noem (@Sec_Noem) January 28, 2025

She looked red carpet ready (minus the tactical vest and ball cap) with her long hair curled and a full face of makeup, which seems like a bit much for so early in the morning and for a police raid. Clearly she thought she was making a good impression since she posted the video on the Secretary of Homeland Security X page as well as reposting it on her personal page. There was no one to tell her that the whole thing did not land. People on social media called her "ICE Barbie" (per X) or said she was just cosplaying and had bought her uniform at a Halloween store. 

"How cute, Kristi is playing make believe," one person said on X. "She's gotta get those extensions under control and cut down on the botox." Another critic wrote, "You might want to talk to someone who actually does this for a living about wearing your hair like that if you're going to confront someone."