After major calls from lawmakers and the public, President Donald Trump abruptly fired Kristi Noem from her post leading the Department of Homeland Security on March 5, ending her volatile tenure as one of the most controversial figures in the administration and marking the first cabinet-level ouster of Trump’s second term.
Following Her Money
She was appointed as special envoy for The Shield of the Americas, which according to The Hill, is a regional coalition of countries in Latin America that “will work together on ideology and policy initiatives that help secure the Western Hemisphere, according to the White House.”
While her position at the powerful national security agency ended, her personal finances appear far more stable.
According to financial disclosures and estimates compiled by Forbes, Noem’s net worth sits at about $5 million. Much of that wealth comes from a combination of government salaries, investments, property holdings, and business interests tied to her family.
Noem served as Homeland Security secretary beginning in January 2025, overseeing one of the largest departments in the federal government. The agency employs more than 260,000 workers and includes major security and immigration organizations such as the Transportation Security Administration, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Federal Emergency Management Agency, the United States Coast Guard, and the United States Secret Service.
As head of the department, Noem earned roughly $253,100 annually, a significant jump from the $122,000 salary she made as governor of South Dakota, according to Open Secrets. Earlier in her career, she served in the United States House of Representatives from 2011 to 2019, earning the congressional salary of about $174,000 per year.
Her wealth, however, goes beyond public service paychecks. Financial disclosures show she holds investments in mutual funds, exchange-traded funds, and retirement accounts valued between roughly $174,000 and $560,000, along with savings that once totaled as much as $265,000. A former South Dakota rancher, she also reported livestock and ranch equipment valued at up to $100,000.
Then there is her husband, Bryon Noem — though Kristi has long ben accused of having an affair with her also-married acting chief of staff, Corey Lewandowski. Bryon’s company, Noem Insurance, is estimated to be worth between $1 million and $5 million. He also holds commercial real estate investments and additional stock market holdings.
The Noems also own pasture land in South Dakota valued between $250,000 and $500,000, which generates rental or royalty income.
Kristi Noem has also earned money as an author. She received a $40,000 advance for her controversial memoir “Not My First Rodeo: Lessons from the Heartland” and nearly $140,000 for her book “No Going Back: The Truth on What’s Wrong With Politics and How We Move America Forward.”
Does she get to keep her plane and Cory?
I WON’T BE HAPPY UNTIL EVERY LAST ONE OF THESE PATHETIC LOSERS ARE GONE.