Trump's soft landings: The officials moved rather than fired
· Axios
President Trump on Thursday announced Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.) as his pick to take over as Homeland Security Secretary, replacing Kristi Noem, who has been given a new position.
The big picture: Rather than outright firing top appointees, Trump has opted in his second term to shuffle them into new roles — a contrast with the record number of firings in his first administration.
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- While announcing her departure from DHS on Thursday, Trump praised Noem's tenure, saying she "has had numerous and spectacular results (especially on the Border!)" and thanking her for her service at the agency.
- Noem will be "moving to be Special Envoy for The Shield of the Americas, our new Security Initiative in the Western Hemisphere," and more details on the initiative will be announced Saturday, the president added.
- Reports that Trump planned to fire Noem had circulated for weeks amid a series of controversies.
Here are the Trump allies who have been relocated.
Mike Waltz
In 2025, Trump removed Mike Waltz from his role as national security adviser — a post he held for about a month — and nominated him to serve as United States ambassador to the United Nations.
Context: The move came after Waltz inadvertently included a journalist in a Signal chat discussing sensitive details about the timing, sequencing and results of strikes against Houthi rebels in Yemen.
- Though administration officials said no classified information was shared in messages later published by The Atlantic, security experts and lawmakers said the incident raised serious concerns about how officials handle secure communications.
- Trump replaced Waltz on an interim basis with Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who has juggled multiple roles within the administration.
The other side: Several Democratic lawmakers called for Waltz and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to be fired after Signalgate.
Billy Long
Billy Long announced his departure from the Internal Revenue Service less than two months after being sworn in as commissioner, saying Trump had tapped him to serve as ambassador to Iceland.
- "I am thrilled to answer his call to service and deeply committed to advancing his bold agenda," Long said in August. "Exciting times ahead!"
- The IRS faced deep job cuts amid a DOGE-driven purge of the federal government, as well as significant leadership churn.
Worth noting: Trump nominated Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent as the agency's acting head, marking the sixth person to lead the IRS in the president's second term.
Greg Bovino
Amid Trump's immigration crackdown in Minnesota, Border Patrol commander Greg Bovino was pulled from his leadership role in the state and reassigned as chief of the El Centro, Calif., border sector.
- State of play: Trump and Gov. Tim Walz (D-MN) had a "productive" phone call on the situation in Minnesota just hours before Bonino's replacement was announced.
- The move also came just days after a Border Patrol agent fatally shot Pretti.
- Trump sent border czar Tom Homan to Minneapolis to take over immigration operations, saying Homan will "report directly to me."
- Weeks later, Homan announced the 10-week crackdown in the Twin Cities had officially ended.