Kristi Noem hosts ‘Shield of the Americas’ meeting 6 months after Trump fired her from his Cabinet as critics accuse her of ‘cosplaying’ again
Six months after President Donald Trump fired former South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem as his Homeland Security secretary, she’s settling into her new role as his special envoy for the Shield of the Americas — and once again facing accusations of “cosplaying” on the job.
Noem has spent September meeting with Latin American officials as part of the regional security initiative, which is focused on combating drug cartels and transnational crime.
Noem misspells Colombia as the country joins Shield of the Americas
On September 14, Noem met with Colombian Ambassador Maria Consuelo Araujo Castro ahead of a Shield of the Americas gathering at which Colombia formally joined the coalition.
“Fantastic meeting today with the Colombian Ambassador Maria Consuelo Araujo Castro,” Noem wrote on Instagram on September 14, saying they discussed “fighting narco trafficking and terrorism” and strengthening Colombia’s partnership with the United States.
In the post, Noem misspelled the country’s name as “Columbia” while writing about bringing “prosperity and opportunity” to its people.
The gathering was convened by Noem and Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs Juan Pablo Segura.
Noem meets with Ecuador’s president in New York
Noem continued her diplomatic work on September 22, meeting with Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa in New York during the United Nations General Assembly.
He was among the Latin American leaders who joined Trump later that day for a Shield of the Americas summit focused on combating drug cartels and transnational crime.
The gathering included leaders and foreign ministers from 14 Latin American and Caribbean countries.
Trump called on members of the coalition to join the U.S. in designating 24 narcotrafficking groups as threats to regional stability and imposing sanctions on them. The countries later issued a statement pledging to take steps toward joint sanctions.
Earlier in the day, Trump told world leaders at the U.N. that drug cartels were “the ISIS of the Western Hemisphere” and vowed that the U.S. would use its “unmatched military might” if necessary to protect its interests in the region.
Critics mock Noem’s new role
Noem’s posts about her work with Shield of the Americas drew plenty of criticism in the comments.
“Today Kristi is cosplaying as a businesswoman; next week it will be a dental hygienist,” one social media user wrote.
Another asked, “Shield of the what?” while someone else accused the meeting of being “staged.”
“Kristi, aren’t you retired yet? If not, you should be,” another commenter wrote. “You have absolutely no business whatsoever being in a position to do more damage than you have already done.”
Another commenter asked, “When will we be rid of you?”
Noem says new role is ‘fulfilling’
Noem offered a glimpse at her new job on Instagram on September 2.
“Everyday at work is different…..but all fulfilling!” she captioned a carousel of photos.