U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-MN) shared a photo this week on social media of her hugging a puppy with the caption: “Don’t worry buddy, Kristi Noem isn’t around anymore.”
[NOTE: Prior to becoming President Trump’s first Secretary of Homeland Security in his second term, Noem wrote in her memoir about killing an “untrainable” dog named Cricket on her South Dakota farm.]
Noem, who now holds the title “Special Envoy for the Shield of the Americas,” took the bait from Smith and replied on social media: “Oh but I am…And I love puppies (with a red heart emoji). You…? …not so much.”
Oh but I am…And I love puppies
. You…? …not so much. https://t.co/CydK4cOb3U
— Kristi Noem (@KristiNoem) May 13, 2026
Former GOP U.S. Representative Adam Kinzinger (R-IL) also responded to Noem: “Kristi i know you. Watching you go from a normal person to what you have become…. A troll…. An act, the furthest thing from a Christian you can, has been among the most shocking things I’ve witnessed in politics. It’s sad. You legit were the last person i would have suspected.”
Kristi i know you. Watching you go from a normal person to what you have become…. A troll…. An act, the furthest thing from a Christian you can, has been among the most shocking things I’ve witnessed in politics. It’s sad. You legit were the last person i would have…
— Adam Kinzinger (Slava Ukraini)
(@AdamKinzinger) May 13, 2026
Noem has been receiving criticism from MAGA supporters, too. One replied: “Seriously @KristiNoem You did literally put in your book that you killed your pup because he wasn’t doing his job. I’m MAGA, tried to forget that however I was not unhappy when President Trump fired you.”