President Trump has selected Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.) to replace Kristi Noem as secretary of Homeland Security.
Mullin, 48, was elected to the Senate in 2022 to serve out the remainder of the late Sen. Jim Inhofe’s term and was up for re-election to a full six-year term later this year.
He previously represented the Sooner State in the House of Representatives for a decade.
A married father of six children, three of whom are adopted, Mullin is also a citizen of the Cherokee Nation and is the only current senator to not hold at least a bachelor’s degree.
Mullin’s background includes a brief successful career as a mixed martial arts fighter (record: 3-0) as well as the owner of a family plumbing company.
In 2023, Mullin went viral for challenging Teamsters President Sean O’Brien to a fight during a Senate hearing after the two had sparred on social media.
What is his relationship with President Trump?
Mullin is known for his close relationship with President Trump.
“The president, as you guys know, we’re great friends, and we get along great. I look forward to working with him in his cabinet,” Mullin told reporters on Capitol Hill on Thursday.
What is Markwayne Mullin’s political background?
Mullin was first elected to the US House in 2012 to represent Oklahoma’s 2nd Congressional district. He ran as a political outsider and leaned into his rancher background.
He’s maintained his tight relationships with the US House — even after being elected to the Senate in 2022 to succeed the retiring GOP Sen. Jim Inhofe.
What is next for Markwayne Mullin?
The DHS secretary must be approved by the Senate. Mullin would be expected to have a confirmation hearing before his colleagues and then receive a full vote on the Senate floor.
Mullin is likely to sail through the confirmation process in the GOP-led Senate. One Democrat is already supporting him.
“I’m not sure how many fellow Democrats will vote to support our colleague [Mullin] as the next DHS Secretary, but I am AYE,” Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) wrote on social media.
