Awkward moment Trump is asked about Kristi Noem and Corey Lewandowski's 'close personal relationship'
By Nikki Schwab
Daily Mail
Feb 16, 2026
President Donald Trump was asked on board Air Force One Monday night about the 'close personal relationship' between DHS Secretary Kristi Noem and Corey Lewandowski. Here he talks to reporters on the presidential aircraft of February 6
President Donald Trump was finally asked Monday night about the 'close personal relationship' between Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and her DHS underling Corey Lewandowski.
The Daily Mail first broke news of their alleged extramarital affair in September 2023 - a relationship that Noem and Lewandowski continue to deny.
On board Air Force One, a reporter cited news reports - namely, a Wall Street Journal story that said Noem and Lewandowski 'do little to hide their relationship' inside DHS - and asked the president if this was a 'bad look.'
The journalist also asked the President how long Noem would be on the job leading the department.
'I don't know about that. I mean, I haven't heard that,' Trump answered. 'I'll find out about it. But I have not heard that.'
He moved on to a question about whether he would still give his State of the Union address if the government remained partially shut down, instead of answering whether Noem would keep her job.
There's evidence that Trump is at least aware of the rumors of Noem and Lewandowski's relationship.
In the Journal's story that was published on Thursday, the president reportedly rejected the plan to have Lewandowski serve officially as Noem's chief of staff due to news reports on the affair.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and adviser Corey Lewandowski are pictured during a visit to Guatemala in June. The Daily Mail was first to report in 2023 on their alleged romantic relationship despite both partners being married
Lewandowski instead is working for DHS as a special government employee.
Journalist Alex Isenstadt wrote in his 2024 campaign book, Revenge, that Trump was 'aware of the scuttlebutt' surrounding Noem and Lewandowski, which dissuaded him from picking the then South Dakota governor as a running mate.
'Trump referred to Noem as Lewandowski's "girlfriend," and when the subject came up, he would raise an eyebrow mischievously,' Isenstadt wrote in the book, the Daily Mail reported last January, having obtained an early copy.
'Lewandowski, Trump said, knew how to bat out of his league,' Isenstadt added.
The author also reported that Trump's aides knew that if Noem was picked, 'her relationship with Lewandowski would become one hell of a distraction.'
The President's choice was made easier when Noem revealed in her memoir that she had gunned down her dog, Cricket.
In more recent weeks, Noem has been under fire after DHS officials killed two American citizens amid the surge of immigration raids in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
She's also being blamed for causing chaos inside the department, as she and Lewandowski have gone on a firing spree.
DailyMail spotted Corey Lewandowski sneaking out of DHS Secretary Kristi Noem's apartment complex clutching a duffel bag, April 2025
In one such incident, recounted in the Journal story, a Coast Guard pilot was initially fired and told to take a commercial flight home after Noem's blanket wasn't moved to a new plane after the secretary was forced to switch aircraft due to a maintenance issue.
For his part, the Daily Mail reported in December that Lewandowski tried to obtain a federally approved gun, going so far as to make it a litmus test for a top candidate to become ICE director.
So far, Trump has shown no public willingness to fire either Noem or Lewandowski.
Lewandowski served as Trump's original 2016 campaign manager but was fired in June after the President wrapped up the Republican primaries.
Still, like many other figures in Trumpworld, he's stayed in the President's orbit and was briefly rehired during the 2024 campaign, though lead advisers Susie Wiles and Chris LaCivita stayed in charge.
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