President Donald Trump fired Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem on Thursday, nominating Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., to take her place. Such a move would put a top Trump ally in charge of policies such as border security, and it would be the latest political step for a Republican politician with a unique story.
Markwayne Mullin is a member of the Cherokee Nation, a businessman and a fighter
Mullin has served in the U.S. Senate since 2023 as the junior senator from Oklahoma, after winning a special election to replace retiring Republican Sen. Jim Inhofe. Before moving to the Senate, Mullin spent a decade in the House of Representatives, where he represented Oklahoma’s 2nd District. In addition to his political career, Mullin is also a successful businessman and multimillionaire, according to Fortune. He left college to run his family’s business after his father became ill; he and his wife have owned Mullin Plumbing for nearly 30 years, and he is a co-owner of a 1,600-acre cattle ranch. If confirmed, Mullin would be one of many millionaires and billionaires in the Trump administration.
But Mullin has a unique profile among his Senate colleagues. He’s a registered member of the Cherokee Nation and is only the second Cherokee citizen to serve in the Senate. In addition to his business ventures, Mullin wrestled in college and briefly competed as a mixed martial artist.
Mullin’s physical prowess was on display during the January 6, 2021, insurrection, when he helped barricade the House chamber doors and threatened to fight any rioters who broke through that day. Mullins later made an additional offer to scuffle during a 2023 Senate hearing, in which the senator challenged Teamster union leader Sean O’Brien to a fight. Trump touted Mullin in his Thursday announcement, calling the senator “a MAGA Warrior and a former undefeated professional MMA fighter,” while also recognizing him as “the only Native American in the Senate” and “a fantastic advocate for our incredible Tribal Communities.” Trump also indicated that Mullins would be a strong enforcer of the administration’s aggressive border control and immigration policies. Trump has good reason to tout Mullin’s loyalty; the senator has often defended Trump’s positions, ranging from supporting Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the “One Big Beautiful Bill” to excusing Trump’s offensive comments about the murders of Rob and Michele Reiner.
The confirmation process may lead to a fight over ICE
While Trump’s announcement said that Mullin “will become the United States Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS),” his temporary appointment will have to be confirmed by his current Senate colleagues to become permanent. Mullins would need a simple majority to be confirmed, and he’s likely to have the support of most Republicans, as well as at least one Democrat, Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman, who has said he will approve Mullin’s nomination. Other Democrats may put up a fight, concerned less about Mullin and more about ICE, the controversial DHS agency that Democrats have pledged to bring under control after a year of heavy-handed immigration raids and the killings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., has declared on X, formerly Twitter, “The Senate should not consider any DHS Secretary nominee until DHS and ICE are reined in.”
Mullin may also find a hard time with at least one Republican senator, Kentucky’s Rand Paul, with whom he’s personally clashed. Mullin once called Paul “a freaking snake” for breaking with party positions, and he said, “I understand completely,” after one of Paul’s neighbors physically assaulted him in 2017. Mullin appears to recognize the possibility of opposition to his nomination, telling reporters, “We’re going to try to earn everybody’s vote.” Meanwhile, by leaving the Senate, Mullin will open up the seat he has held since 2023. Under Oklahoma law, Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt would pick someone to serve the remainder of Mullin’s term, which ends in 2027. That person would not be eligible to run in November’s election, which will determine who’ll hold the Senate seat for the next term. Despite Democrats’ hopes to potentially flip the Senate, the Oklahoma Senate race heavily favors Republicans, even if Mullin drops his reelection bid to serve as Homeland Security secretary.
Mullin’s nomination may shake up politics in Oklahoma as other Republicans in the state see an opportunity to replace him in the Senate, and his confirmation hearings before his Senate colleagues are likely to feature a heated debate about immigration enforcement. Should Mullin be confirmed, he may be able to avoid the controversies that cost his predecessor her job, but he’s poised to be an equally loyal executor of Trump’s agenda as the head of DHS.