My weekend column, “The Stunning Ugliness of Kristi Noem,” received over 450 comments in the first 24 hours. Always appreciate the folks who take the time to share their opinions — the good and the bad; the poetic and the profane.
‘Cause the “Noem” comments section had plenty of each.
Observation: It’d be interesting to see the gender breakdown. I’ll betcha a Diet Coke that women are more likely to be critical of Noem than men, and by a statistically significant difference, too. (I could be wrong, but that’s how I read the tea leaves.)
I was a little surprised some commenters seemed to sympathize more with Mrs. Noem than Mr. Noem. Her firing didn’t come out of the blue — it was a trainwreck we all saw coming from miles away.
And it was 100% preventable, too. Her wounds were self-inflicted. She was less undone by her adversaries than by her hubris.
Sorry, folks, but Mrs. Noem owed the president more political competency than that.
When your “alleged”-yet-open affair with a workplace subordinate has been gossiped about for over a year, refusing to course-correct is just bonkers. She kept doubling down on the same behavior that made her husband a global laughingstock, either out of arrogance, negligence, indifference, or incompetence — or, most likely, a combination of the four.
It’s so very sad. This is the same woman who once wrote:
At our house, Bryon [Kristi Noem’s husband] completes many of our chores. I am gone a lot, and he is left to handle all things related to kids, ranch, and house. I know that I am blessed to have a husband who recognizes how wonderful it is for me to come back to a clean house and tended family, and he tries to make that happen. But over the years, what has made me love him more each day is the way he loves our kids.
[…]
He gave Kassidy her first bath. In fact, my mom came to stay with us a few days after she was born and after a few hours she came to me and said, "I might as well go home. Bryon won't let me do anything."
[…]
Booker was such a sick little boy with so many breathing problems he needed multiple inhalers, medications, and constant trips to the hospital. Bryon prayed over him every night, asking God to heal our little boy.
When you look at our family home videos, you will find they were all taken by Bryon. I'm not sure it ever occurred to me to document those busy years.
Sounds like he’s a kind, upstanding husband. Yet Mrs. Noem’s conduct as DHS secretary led to heartbreaking headlines like this:
New York Post: The Real Reason Why Kristi Noem’s Cuckold Husband Stayed Married to Her Through Corey Lewandowski ‘Humiliation’
Radar Online: Kristi Noem’s In-Laws Hope ‘Humiliated’ Husband Bryon Finally Leaves Her Amid Corey Lewandowski Affair Rumors
The Independent: Kristi Noem Asked About Affair Rumors at Hearing Attended by Her Husband
Hindustan Times: Kristi Noem’s Husband Bryon vs Corey Lewandowski: Who Is Richer? A Look at Their Wealth and Income
Daily Beast: ICE Barbie’s ‘Humiliated’ Husband’s Family Reveals Sad Reason He Stands by Her
That’s between her and her husband, and if her professional performance was better, she 100% would’ve gotten away with it, too. (She’s certainly not the first politician to stray, and what’s good for the goose is good for the gander. Three cheers for #equality!)
But between the backlash over her three luxury planes, the $220 million ad campaign starring herself, her self-aggrandizing press releases, and everything else, her inability to deny — under oath — a workplace affair with a subordinate was reportedly the “final straw” that led to her dismissal.
Bottom line? It was professional malpractice — and morally, it was VERY ugly. Her exterior may be beautiful, but her character is not.
Because, the ugly truth is, Donald Trump fired her for cause.
PRediction: Donald Trump will pass the “wartime president test” with flying colors. Turns out he’s made for this.
Not all leaders are.
War is unpredictable and messy. Controlling the narrative isn’t easy. Not to get all Rumsfeldian on you, but between the “unknown unknowns,” “known unknowns,” and the “known knowns” that turn out to be wrong, you’ve gotta be able to pivot.
War is the ultimate expression of American philosopher Mike Tyson’s timeless observation, “Everyone has a plan until they’re punched in the face.”
That’s President Trump’s superpower: He feasts on unpredictability.
If the Hulk is powered by gamma radiation and Superman is powered by our yellow sun, then Trump is powered by unpredictability. He’s perfected being unpredictable into an artform. It’s second nature to him.
When the news changes, Trump changes with it. He’s different than a George W. Bush, who seemed to anchor himself in place — battling the tides — determined to outlast it all.
Trump is more like a surfer who rides the waves, blazing a new trail whenever one emerges. It’s strategic cherry-picking; he’s nimbler than his adversaries, striking hard when opportunities emerge.
He’s also an unrepentant optimist. Reportedly, Norman Vincent Peale’s book, The Power of Positive Thinking, was hugely influential on the future president.
War is often dark and gloomy; scary and unpredictable.
In the days ahead, we’ll need his optimism.
PRojection: President Trump’s wartime communication style is tailormade for the Internet age. And his style is short, punchy, and direct.
If you’re a fan of soaring oration and lyrical prose, you’re out of luck.
Back in the 1980s, Peggy Noonan was a skilled young speechwriter who fed President Ronald Reagan such beautiful, descriptive prose as “slipped the surly bonds of earth,” or “touch the face of God.” For Reagan, it worked.
President Trump doesn’t talk like that. (Which is probably a good thing: Who knows how “slipped the surly bonds of earth” would translate in Farsi? I’m guessing something would be lost in the translation.)
But there’s no miscommunication when Trump calls Iran (all caps) “THE LOSERS OF THE MIDDLE EAST.” The whole world knows what he means.
It’s a communication style that’s instantly understandable in every language.
Meanwhile, the leaders of Iran are offering clumsy apologies to its neighbors for attacking them — while continuing to attack them. Which, of course, kind of muddles the message.
Nothin’ vague about Trump calling Iran “The LOSERS OF THE MIDDLE EAST” — or insisting on its unconditional surrender.
Advantage: Trump.
PRaise: To the diplomatic arm of the Unites States government — which begins at the top with President Trump, but certainly includes our all-star secretary of state, Marco Rubio.
When the Iran War began, there were reports that the Saudis were one of the biggest cheerleaders. But that was behind-the-scenes.
In front of the cameras, Saudi Arabia — and the rest of the Arab world — claimed they were against bombing Iran. Nations like Qatar even refused to let us use their military bases. Virtually NO Arab country signed on to help.
One week later, the entire Arab world is united against Iran!
Sure, Iran’s boneheaded decision to launch missiles and drones against its enemies played a huge part, too. But hey, that’s war.
When regimes are under great pressure, they often make stupid decisions.
U.S. firepower pushed Iran into a corner. Wiping out its leadership eroded its braintrust. And now, just one week later, the entire Arab world — plus Israel — is united in opposition to the mullahs.
That’s an extraordinary diplomatic coup.
PRedators: Megyn Kelly, at her best, is a helluva broadcaster. It’s interesting to contrast her with Laura Ingraham, because superficially, they have much in common: blonde, female, Fox News shows, legal expertise (albeit Ingraham’s legal credentials are vastly superior).
But despite Ingraham being supported by the News Corp PR machine, Kelly remains the higher-profile talent: Kelly gets more eyeballs; her program is more influential.
She’s also firmly on Team Tucker Carlson-Nick Fuentes-Candace Owens in denouncing the Iran War as “Israel First” — and America’s enemies are already gleefully weaponizing her denunciations for PR purposes:
The entire psyop that is the woke right in one photo.
— Jacktron (@jacktronprime) March 3, 2026
Russia Today posting a clip of Megyn Kelly’s show where she disgracefully attacks our military and it was reposted by Vladimir Putin’s brain Alexander Dugin.
Then to top it off you have Iranian accounts in the comment… pic.twitter.com/QoEIPrkW7w
But maybe she’ll flip back around. She certainly has before.
How do you go from this:
Flashback to big shot "conservative" Megyn Kelly celebrating "trans kids."@megynkelly is for sale to the highest bidder. She has ZERO integrity. 🤡 pic.twitter.com/pwgqUEtXy2
— Right Wing Cigar King (@AlanCigarKing) March 3, 2026
To this:
There’s no such thing as a trans kid, Chief Lies-a-Lot. They get butchered by a corrupt system that wants to make money off of sterilizing them as mere 12-yr-olds who cannot possibly consent to no future kids/no sexual pleasure. Their arms/colons get gutted to build fake… https://t.co/vjN5lbuHyB
— Megyn Kelly (@megynkelly) June 19, 2025
Sorry, folks. Not everyone’s in the punditry game for the same reasons. For some it’s about right and wrong.
For others, it’s about dollars and cents.
