What it was really like when Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem awkwardly took the stage after Trump fired her

NASHVILLE — Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem seemed deflated and shied away from mentioning President Trump’s name directly when she took the stage at a police sergeant’s conference moments after she was publicly fired Thursday, attendees told The Post.

“She was her normal self, except she maybe sounded a little less energetic than usual,” said one attendee who was in the room while Noem, 54, delivered the remarks at the Sergeant Benevolent Association Major Cities Conference.

“But she also didn’t mention Trump’s name very many times — she just referred to the ‘administration’ – normally I think she says his name more,” the woman noted.

Everyone at the conference had seen the news before Noem went on stage. Trump announced on Truth Social that Noem would be replaced as Homeland Security Secretary by Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.) at the end of the month.

One New York State Police trooper noted that several other attendees wondered “if she would even show up.”

Still, he didn’t think the news was negative for Noem, as her new gig will be a “promotion,” he speculated.

“I didn’t feel like, ‘Oh no, this poor woman.’ It didn’t even seem like that big of news to me. She’s just getting transferred – it’s a promotion. So I was wondering if she was going to say something about it but I don’t think it’s that big of a deal,” he said.

Ex-Secretary Kristi Noem’s most memorable photo ops during her tenure at DHS:

Kristi Noem trains with the Maritime Security Response Team West during a visit to Coast Guard Cutter Elm, in San Diego, CA, March 16, 2025. U.S. Coast Guard District 11

Noem conducts a firefighting simulation at Coast Guard Base Kodiak, in Kodiak, Alaska, March 17, 2025.DHS photo by Mikaela McGee

Kristi Noem rides an all-terrain vehicle (ATV) along the U.S.-Mexico Border Wall in El Paso, Texas, April 28, 2025. DHS photo by Tia Dufour

Kristi Noem observes federal law enforcement and their partners assisting with immigration enforcement efforts in Chantilly, VA, March 4, 2025.DHS photo by Mikaela McGee

Kristi Noem rides on the USCG MSRT Small Boat in South Bay, San Diego, California, March 16, 2025.DHS photo by Tia Dufour

Kristi Noem takes a horse tour with Border Patrol agents in Brownsville, TX, Jan. 7, 2026.DHS photo by Mikaela McGee

Noem boards the US Coast Guard Cutter Escanaba for a meeting on drug interdiction on June 24, 2025 in Panama City.POOL/AFP via Getty Images

Kristi Noem speaks during a tour of the Terrorist Confinement Center (CECOT) as prisoners stand, looking out from a cell, in Tecoluca, El Salvador, on March 26, 2025.POOL/AFP via Getty Images

Noem riding a camel during a trip to Qal'at al-Bahrain Fort in Bahrain on May 25, 2025. — Noem riding a camel during a trip to Qal’at al-Bahrain Fort in Bahrain on May 25, 2025.Getty Images

Noem dancing during a trip to Buenos Aires, Argentina on July 29, 2025.Photo by Alex Brandon-Pool/Getty Images

United States' Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem tosses a coin into the 18th century Trevi Fountain on May 23, 2025 in Rome, Italy. — Noem throwing a coin in Rome’s Trevi Fountain on May 23, 2025.Getty Images

Noem piloting a boat in Manama, Bahrain on May 25, 2025.Getty Images

DHS Secretary Kristi Noem seen riding a horse in front of Mount Rushmore for a DHS ad on Oct. 2, 2025.DHS photo by Tia Dufour

“It was like nothing had changed,” he said of her speech. “Even if she had seen it though, it’s not like it’s bad news for her.”

Trump noted that Noem would become Special Envoy for The Shield of the Americas, a new position overseeing security in the Western Hemisphere.

Here’s the latest on the firing of Kristi Noem

Another NY law enforcement officer said he took Noem noted she was going to meet President Trump on Saturday – which the president also wrote in the X post – as acknowledgement of her reassignment.

“She said she was going to meet with Trump on Saturday during her speech, so I assume that’s to talk about the transfer and all that,” he said.

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