On Monday night, President Donald Trump addressed questions regarding the purported “close personal relationship” between Kristi Noem, the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, and Corey Lewandowski, a member of her team.

The Daily Mail had reported on the alleged affair back in September 2023, an allegation both Noem and Lewandowski have consistently denied.

While aboard Air Force One, a reporter brought up various news stories, including one from The Wall Street Journal, which suggested that Noem and Lewandowski are not discreet about their relationship within the DHS. The reporter queried whether this situation reflected poorly on the administration.

The journalist also inquired about the duration of Noem’s tenure as head of the department.

President Trump responded, “I don’t know about that. I mean, I haven’t heard that. I’ll find out about it. But I have not heard that.”

Instead of addressing Noem’s future in the role, the President shifted focus to a question regarding his plans to deliver the State of the Union address if the government shutdown continued.

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.

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

DHS Secretary Kristi Noem (left) and Trump’s 2016 campaign manager Corey Lewandowski (right) pose for a photo together in September 2020. 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. 

Corey Lewandowski (back) can be seen walking onstage behind then South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem (front) as she completed a sound check for her 2024 Republican National Convention speech in Milwaukee in July 2024 

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.