The Big Take (Bloomberg and iHeartPodcasts)

Episode: "The $240 Million Ad Campaign That Helped Get Kristi Noem Fired"
Aired: March 7, 2026

Main Theme & Purpose

This episode explores the downfall of Kristi Noem, the former Secretary of Homeland Security, tracing how a record-breaking $240 million advertising campaign became central to her ouster. Bloomberg reporters dive into the origins, operations, and consequences of the campaign—intended to encourage self-deportation and recruit ICE officers—and reveal new findings about its political entanglements, effectiveness, and humanitarian fallout. The show also examines why this campaign became a political lightning rod and the role it played in Noem's abrupt firing by President Trump.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Kristi Noem’s Abrupt Removal from DHS

• Announcement & Immediate Aftermath

  • President Trump announced Noem’s ouster via Truth Social without warning (01:45).
  • Noem was replaced by Oklahoma Senator Markwayne Mullin, who was surprised by the move:
    • “I’ve got to be honest with you, I wasn’t expecting the call today.” — Markwayne Mullin (02:05)
  • Noem was at a public event as the news broke but made no mention of her dismissal (02:13–02:25).

• Underlying Tensions

  • Noem had faced two days of intense congressional grilling on allegations of DHS misconduct and specifically on the controversial ad campaign (02:28).

Details & Purpose of the Ad Campaign

• Structure and Messaging
  • Two categories of ads:
    1. Self-deportation ads
       • Urged undocumented immigrants to leave, featuring stark language and imagery, primarily showing Latino immigrants (04:50–05:06).
         • “President Trump has a clear message ... leave now. If you don’t, we will find you and we will deport you.” — Kristi Noem, in ad (04:57)
    2. ICE recruitment ads
       • Urged law enforcement and viewers to join ICE, offering bonuses (05:28).
         • “In too many cities, dangerous illegals walk free ... join ICE and help us catch the worst of the worst.” — Voiceover from ad (05:28)
  • Total allocated funds: $240 million, the largest ever for DHS and one of the biggest federal ad campaigns outside defense and COVID (06:05).

The Procurement Controversy

• Non-Competitive Bidding

  • Instead of the usual open bid process, DHS under Noem hand-picked four companies, citing Trump’s border emergency declaration to bypass standard rules (06:57–07:34).
  • Only three companies bid; two won contracts. All had close ties to DHS officials or Trump campaign advisors (07:51).
    • “All three companies are very tightly connected to either DHS officials or Trump campaign advisors.” — Eric Fan (07:51)
  • The process was fast tracked—first ads launched just a month after Trump’s inauguration.

• Companies Involved & Connections

  • Safe American Media: Awarded over $142 million; incorporated only eight days before the contract (08:26–08:48).
    • Lacked public contact info; investigation found only a consultant’s residential address and no response to inquiries (11:40–12:10).
  • People Who Think LLC: Received smaller international contract; links to Corey Lewandowski (Trump campaign), co-founded by Trump advisor (09:14–09:37).
  • Other Players: Entities tied to families of DHS officials; all connections lacked transparency.

• Justifications from DHS

  • DHS defended contractor choices by boasting of campaign “success” but offered no real explanations and confirmed Noem and the OMB approved contracts directly (10:58).

Ad Placement & Effectiveness

• Distribution Analysis

  • Over 92,000 ads aired nationwide—targeted to border states and “sanctuary cities,” but with inconsistencies (15:49).
    • E.g., Georgia, despite a large undocumented population, got few deportation ads but many ICE recruitment ads; certain ads wrongly labeled Atlanta a sanctuary city (17:17).
      • “It’s unclear to us why this ad ... said Atlanta was a sanctuary city even after the administration’s own Justice Department had removed the city from the list.” — Eric Fan (17:17)

• Results of Recruitment Push

  • Police departments contacted (Miami, Denver, etc.) reported no significant loss of officers to ICE; effectiveness of recruitment campaigns is unclear (18:38).
  • ICE claimed their workforce doubled, but impact attribution is unproven. Notably, recruitment ads largely avoided Spanish-language stations, a break from past policy (19:25).

• Impact on Immigrant Communities

  • DHS claimed “over 2 million illegal aliens left the country,” but experts dispute this, placing real numbers closer to 200,000–400,000—and attribute most attrition to reduced visa flows, not self-deportation from ads (20:27).
  • Immigrant counselors and families report increased fear, anxiety, and stigma—particularly among children (21:46).
    • “We know that it’s creating fear, anxiety. Not sure, you know, if many people combine to leave, but ... at least they’re really suffering from the content of this campaign.” — Irena Sanchez Casado (21:46)

Political Fallout: Hearings and Noem’s Prominence

• Congressional Oversight & Unanswered Questions

  • Lawmakers repeatedly requested documentation from DHS, which never produced records on campaign selections or effectiveness (23:08).
  • During March hearings, Noem’s leadership and the decision-making behind the ads drew sharp bipartisan scrutiny—particularly her heavy self-promotion in the ads.
    • “How do you square that concern for waste, which I share, with the fact that you have spent $220 million running television advertisements that feature you prominently?” — Sen. John Kennedy (24:32)

• Self-promotion Allegations

  • Ads heavily featured Noem: She narrated, appeared on horseback at Mount Rushmore, and thanked Trump in almost every spot (25:13).
    • “She was heavily featured ... in front of camera most of the ad at Mount Rushmore ... thanked Trump or complimented the president’s immigration policy.” — Eric Fan (25:13)

• Disputed Claims of Presidential Approval

  • Noem told Congress she had Trump’s approval. Trump later denied giving her those instructions (26:41).
  • According to Sen. Kennedy, Trump reportedly told an associate: “Noem is dead as a fried chicken.” (26:50)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On sudden removal of Noem:
  • “At the time of the post, Noem was at a law enforcement event in Nashville to deliver a keynote address.” — Sarah Holder (02:07)
• On ad messaging:
  • “President Trump has a clear message ... leave now.” — Kristi Noem ad (04:57)
• On lack of competitive process:
  • “All three companies are very tightly connected to either DHS officials or Trump campaign advisors.” — Eric Fan (07:51)
• On impact to communities:
  • “We know that it’s creating fear, anxiety ... at least they’re really suffering from the content of this campaign.” — Irena Sanchez Casado (21:46)
• On Trump’s reaction post-firing:
  • “Noem is dead as a fried chicken.” — Attributed to Trump via Sen. Kennedy (26:50)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 01:45 — Trump announces Kristi Noem’s firing
• 02:28 — The ad campaign controversy surfaces in congressional committees
• 04:50 — Explanation of ad campaign content and strategy
• 06:05 — Discussion of record ad spend
• 06:57 — Unusual contracting process revealed
• 08:26 — Details on main companies and their connections
• 15:49 — Ad placement and targeting analysis
• 18:38 — ICE recruitment campaign’s (in)effectiveness
• 21:46 — Testimony of fear/anxiety in immigrant communities
• 23:08 — Congress requests (and is denied) campaign documentation
• 24:32 — Senator Kennedy’s key grilling of Noem
• 25:13 — Discussion of Kristi Noem’s personal prominence in ads
• 26:41 — Trump disputes Noem’s account of presidential approval

Summary Flow & Tone

The episode is factual, investigative, and at times bluntly critical—mirroring the Bloomberg reporting style. The hosts and guests maintain a tone of measured skepticism while probing deeply into the mechanics and consequences of the campaign. The discussion is peppered with direct citations from congressional proceedings and interviews, giving listeners both the policy context and the human impact behind a political story that gained national prominence.