Out with the ICE Barbie, In with the Cagefighter

After firing Kristi Noem from her role as Secretary of Homeland Security, Trump nominated a former MMA fighter to replace her. Is anyone actually surprised?

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In the months since I announced I was writing a book about mixed martial arts and strongman politics, U.S. President Donald Trump has gone out of his way to prove my premise.

It began shortly after I signed my deal with Simon & Schuster: Trump announced plans for the UFC to host an event at the White House to commemorate America’s 250th anniversary, as well as his 80th birthday. “Trump’s UFC stunt is more than a circus. It’s authoritarian theatre,” I wrote in a piece for The Guardian at the time.

Then came the announcement this week that Trump had tapped Oklahoma Senator Markwayne Mullin, a former pro MMA fighter, to replace Kristi Noem as Secretary of Homeland Security. In a post on Truth Social, Trump praised Mullin’s both his political and his fighting acumen.

“A MAGA Warrior, and former undefeated professional MMA fighter, Markwayne truly gets along well with people, and knows the Wisdom and Courage required to Advance our America First Agenda,” Trump wrote.

A member of the Cherokee Nation, Mullin ran several family companies and hosted a home improvement radio program that was syndicated across Oklahoma before pivoting to politics. He was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2012, where he represented eastern Oklahoma for a decade as a Republican before becoming a junior senator in 2022.

Mullin also wrestled in college and is officially 3–0 in MMA, though he has claimed a 5–0 record. He was inducted into the Oklahoma Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2016. The following year, while serving as a congressman, Mullin proposed legislation that would force the UFC to share financial information with fighters and create an independent ranking system that would offer fighters greater leverage when negotiating with the organization. The UFC fiercely opposed the bill, called the Muhammad Ali Expansion Act, and reportedly spent upwards of $100,000 lobbying against it. “I wish the UFC would use that money to pay their fighters instead of lobbying against them,” Mullin said at the time.