Markwayne Mullin describes frantic pace of Trump call to replace Noem as DHS chief: ‘Need to tell my wife first’

MAGA warrior is enjoying stunning rise from MMA brawler to Senator with no college degree and now cabinet post NewsWorldAmericasUS politicsMarkwayne Mullin describes frantic pace of Trump call to replace Noem as DHS chief: ‘Need to tell my wife first’MAGA warrior is enjoying stunning rise from MMA brawler to Senator with no college degree and now cabinet postAndrew Feinberg in Washington, D.C. Thursday 05 March 2026 20:12 GMTBookmarkCommentsGo to commentsBookmark popoverRemoved from bookmarksClose popover(AFP/Getty)Your support helps us to tell the storyRead moreSupport NowFrom reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.Your support makes all the difference.Read moreSenator Markwayne Mullin’s first inkling that he was about to be offered a new job came with a call from the White House switchboard that he was not at all expecting.Speaking to reporters outside the U.S. Capitol on Thursday just minutes after President Donald Trump announced that he’d be tapped to lead the Department of Homeland Security, Mullin called the news “a little bit of a surprise” and said he wasn’t headed directly to the White House today following the news.“Need to talk to my wife first,” he said.Mullin added that he and Trump “have a really good relationship” and “talk all the time,” and said he was “super excited” to get the massive department “working for the American people.”“The Department of Homeland Security very broad jurisdiction, and Ithink there is a lot of work that we need to do and I am excited,” he said. The president’s choice of Mullin to replace the embattled Noem will put a first-term senator with just an associate’s degree in charge of a sprawling bureaucracy encompassing everything from airport security to disaster response to the United States Coast Guard. Mullin, 48, has served in the upper chamber since 2023 after a decade-long career representing the Sooner State’s first Congressional district in the House of Representatives. Before he was first elected to the House in 2012, he hosted a syndicated home improvement show on a Tulsa radio station and ran an eponymous plumbing company, Mullin Plumbing, as well as other family-owned real estate and farm operations.An enrolled member of the Cherokee Nation, Mullin also had a brief but undefeated career as a mixed martial arts professional in the Xtreme Fighting League, recording one technical knockout victory in 2007 and two victories by submission in 2006 and 2007.More follows...Join our commenting forumJoin thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their repliesCommentsMost popularPopular videosBulletinRead next