Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security Kristi Noem recently appeared on CNN for an interview with Dana Bash, where the two covered a wide range of topics after the first several weeks of the Trump administration. Subsequently, conservatives on social media praised Noem’s handling of the interview as she faced pressing questions from the host.
One of the major focal points of the conversation was the use of the naval base Guantanamo Bay in Cuba to detain certain illegal immigrants. “So there are several planes that have transported individuals to the base, and they are in the system. And the facilities that you know, a lot of our worst terrorist criminals have been incarcerated for many years. These individuals are the worst of the worst that we pulled off of our streets, murderers, r****s,” Noem told Bash.
The former South Dakota Governor explained the types of criminals who were being sent to the base. “So when I was there, I was able to watch one of the flights landing and them on about 15 different of these criminals. Those were mainly child pedophiles. Those that were out there, trafficking children, trafficking drugs, and were pulled off of our streets and put at this facility,” she continued.
Highlighting Trump’s commitment to honoring his campaign promises, he said, “You know, the President committed during the campaign that he believed we needed to have mass deportation, so we’re going after those that have been the violent criminals perpetuating crimes in our communities, also those with final removal orders, and then we’ll continue down the priority list.”
At another point during the interview, Bash pressed Noem on the Elon Musk’s intentions to downsize the United States government. “Immigration is one of the parts of it, and FEMA is another. On X this morning, Elon Musk said quote, ‘FEMA is broken, and he said so, in response to the suggestion that he shut down FEMA entirely.’ FEMA is, of course, funded by Congress, has repeatedly been authorized in statute, including by laws you voted for when you were in Congress. Can and should Donald Trump shut it down?” the host asked.
Defending the proposal and Trump’s authority to carry it out, Noem said, “He can, and I believe that he will do that evaluation with his team, and he’s talking about it, which I’m grateful for. He’ll work with Congress, though, to make sure that it’s done correctly and that we’re still there to help folks who have a terrible disaster or crisis in their life.”
However, she maintained that the government would still act to protect U.S. citizens. “He’s been very clear that he still believes there’s a role for the federal government to come in and help people get back up on their feet. But there’s a lot of fraud and waste and abuse out there, and since President Trump has taken over and come back into this administration, we’ve seen incredible changes,” she said.
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Watch the interview below:
Reacting to the interview, conservative commentator Gracelyn wrote on X, ” Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem announced she’d be on CNN with Dana Bash so I decided to watch. Kristi is, of course, right on point — and Bash, how did she ever get an anchor job…really bad!! It’s no wonder they’re going bankrupt with viewers.”
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