Charleston, South Carolina — On Thursday, U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem urged conservatives to “choose their fights wisely” and support law enforcement in a presentation to young Republicans at South Carolina’s military college.
“As you leave this institution and as you’re trained, I’m sure you will lead with the values that are so important to how this country needs to be sustained into the future,” Noem told members of the Citadel Republican Society at their annual Patriot Dinner, an event designed to help the club raise funds to attend the Conservative Political Action Conference each year.
Noem was in Charleston to accept the Nathan Hale Award, which honors someone who symbolizes the hero’s unselfish leadership during the Revolutionary War.
“Secretary Noem showed me that women can live boldly, speak truthfully, and never apologize for their values,” club President Savannah Ikner said minutes before presenting Noem with the award, which is a replica musket.
Hale served as an American soldier and spy for the Continental Army during the conflict. He volunteered for an espionage operation in New York City, but was apprehended by the British and hanged at the age of 21.
“I have just been so inspired by Nathan Hale’s story and his testimony and what he did, the sacrifice that he made,” Noem told the crowd. “So, to receive this honor tonight, and this award is incredibly powerful.”
Noem, who was once mentioned as a potential vice presidential candidate in 2024, was the governor of South Dakota before entering President Donald Trump’s cabinet as head of DHS, according to a conversation she recalled Thursday night.
“I said, Sir: I want to do that job because it is your number one priority,” she remembered telling the president in a phone call after the November 2024 election. “You have talked across this county and told people you were going to secure the border, that you are going to deport people who are here illegally, that you are going to enforce our laws, and you’re going to have to have somebody who’s actually tough enough to do it.”
Noem has emerged as a prominent, often divisive figure in the Trump administration, supervising a massive immigration operation that has been chastised for the aggressive tactics of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials.
In her roughly 30-minute speech, Noem emphasized the department’s efforts in border security, drug trafficking enforcement, and trade agreements. She also discussed the recent campaign to hire more immigration agents to assist carry out Trump’s objectives, alleging that over 200,000 people had applied to work for ICE.
“People want to be a part of going out there and making their communities safer,” she told me.
She then asked the gathering to “go out and encourage a law enforcement officer every chance you get.”
“What we do as Republicans, what we do as Americans, is we support individuals who take an oath and stand for justice and make sure that we know they are appreciated and that we’re grateful,” she went on:
Invoking John Adams’ words, Noem also made multiple calls for civic engagement and peaceful conversation, pushing other Republicans to be “someone who sets the example.”
“I’m going to ask you to choose not to be offended by what’s going on in this country, to continue to love people, to talk to them,” she told the crowd.
Noem became the second woman to receive the prize, succeeding former South Carolina governor and UN Ambassador Nikki Haley. Other noteworthy honorees are President Donald Trump, former Vice President Mike Pence, United States Senator Tim Scott, and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.
