Markwayne Mullin, a staunch MAGA supporter set to continue Trump’s immigration agenda

With the selection of Oklahoma Senator Markwayne Mullin, 47, to replace Kristi Noem, Donald Trump has placed one of the most loyal members of Congress to his agenda at the head of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). A staunch MAGA supporter, Mullin is very likely to lead the department in line with Trump’s immigration policy, aimed at achieving the largest deportation in U.S. history.

His loyalty to Trump led him to support the former president’s wrongful claims of fraud in the 2020 election, which the Republican lost to Democrat Joe Biden. The Senate Republican majority leader has described him as “the one who whispers” to Trump about what is happening in the chamber and manages to influence him. He was a key representative for the president during the 2024 campaign, especially among Indigenous voters in the battleground states. Mullin is a member of the Cherokee Nation and currently the only Native American in the upper chamber. He serves on the Senate Committees on Armed Services, Appropriations, Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, and Indian Affairs.

The Senate still has to approve his nomination, but it only requires a simple majority in the upper chamber, where Republicans hold 53 of the 100 seats (Democrats have 45 and there are two independents). Democratic Senator John Fetterman of Pennsylvania has already announced that he will vote in favor of his appointment, and more lawmakers from his party are expected to do the same. Analysts describe Mullin as a candidate viewed more favorably by congressional Democrats than his predecessor, Noem, whose removal they had repeatedly called for.

In his first remarks as the nominee for DHS secretary, Mullin said: “The president and I have a really good relationship; we talk all the time.”

The senator admitted the decision “was not a complete surprise,” but said he wasn’t expecting the call on Thursday.

In a conciliatory tone toward Democrats — who have been highly critical of the direction DHS has taken and continue to block the department’s funding over disagreements over Trump’s migration agenda — he said: “Yes I’m a Republican, yes, I am conservative, but the Department of Homeland Security” but “my focus is to keep the homeland secure.” ”Regardless of whether you support me or if you don’t support me, regardless of what your thoughts are, I’m here to enforce the policies that Congress passed,” he added.

Of his predecessor, Noem, he said that “she was tasked to do a very difficult job.” “I think she has performed the best she can do under the circumstances,” he said, but added that he believed there were opportunities to learn from her tenure and “build off things that didn’t go quite as planned.”

Mullin assumed office as senator for Oklahoma on January 3, 2023, after 10 years as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives. A native of Oklahoma, he grew up on the family ranch in Westville, where he and his family still reside. He has been married to Christie Mullin for 28 years, and they have six children. On his X account, he describes himself as: “Christian. Proud husband. Father of six. MAGA conservative. Bringing Oklahoma values ​​to the U.S. Senate.”

A graduate of Stilwell High School, Mullin attended Missouri Valley College on a wrestling scholarship until he was 20. He interrupted his studies to take over the family plumbing business, Mullin Plumbing, when his father died. In the following years, he expanded the company and started new businesses, including a restaurant. He is considered one of the wealthiest senators.

In 2010, Mullin completed his undergraduate studies, earning a Bachelor of Science degree in construction technology from the Oklahoma State University Institute of Technology. In 2018, he received an honorary doctorate from Bacone College, according to the biography on his official website.

Mullin caused a scene on Capitol Hill when he challenged Teamsters union president Sean O’Brien to a fight during a congressional hearing in 2023. While he was a member of the House of Representatives, the Ethics Committee reviewed his business dealings and, although it concluded that Mullin acted in good faith and followed the committee’s recommendations, determined that he should return $40,000 received by a company that he transferred to his wife in 2012.

His departure from the Senate comes months before the midterm elections, in which the entire House of Representatives and one-third of the Senate will be elected. The governor of Oklahoma can appoint someone to fill the vacancy in the upper chamber until the November elections. Mullin’s departure adds uncertainty to the elections, in which the Republican Party is predicted to lose its majority due to Trump’s falling approval ratings.

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