Archive link: https://removepaywalls.com/https://www.kenklippenstein.com/p/the-public-fires-kristi-noem
Donald Trump today announced his decision to remove Kristi Noem as Secretary of Homeland Security, the first cabinet level official firing of his second term.
The media will credit her fall to some shady no-bid contract she was behind, her use of a private jet, or administration rivals like Stephen Miller and whatever boring DC drama. But the real reason is obvious: public activism.
I’d like to think it was due to public opposition to her and the actions of ICE. The author does not really present any rationale to support that, however, only repeats the claim. To me, it seems more like what Trump always does with people he’s associated with. Few people last long in his administrations.
I’m not sold, but he points to references made during her senate hearing, insider knowledge about ICE morale relating to the protests, and about half the article contains examples of public pressure swaying political hands, so it’s not a nothing burger.
The only thing he cares and responds to out of politicians is popularity.
Public pressure works because that’s how Trump operates. There are plenty of elected officials with zero inclination to respond to public opinion whatsoever.
This is the one tool people have had with him.
That’s not true, he gets pretty mad if anyone says anything mean about him regardless of public opinion.
Well, that’s how he measures popularity. His response is usually a flex of his popularity or a drag on theirs.
He measures popularity by how mean people are to him, or is public pressure the only thing he cares about? I’m not really seeing your point here.
That’s all within the mindset he operates. To him, popular people all have haters, so it takes something like public pressure to get through that dismissal.
It feels like you’re explaining what I said, and the article, back at me.
I think she has been overexposed, and is unpopular, but who knows if that’s what Trump is responding to. Though if he’s gonna throw anyone under the bus, it would for sure be a woman or a non-white person. Looking forward to that happening to Patel, though they always manage to find someone even worse. And you’re right, I missed that he talked to an unnamed official. There could be a lot more to it that we don’t know about too.