Department of Homeland Security spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin is resigning from her post as a political appointee.
McLaughlin told the Washington Examiner: “I’m not leaving the fight. I’m not going anywhere. It’ll just look different.”
A senior Trump administration official familiar with the plans confirmed on Tuesday morning that McLaughlin will depart her post swiftly and stated that she made the decision in December, but stayed on amid the two DHS-involved shootings in Minneapolis last month.
The departure comes at a particularly turbulent time for DHS Secretary Kristi Noem and Corey Lewandowski, the special government employee installed at the department who is said to influence Noem’s policy decisions highly. McLaughlin was tapped for the job after Noem was confirmed by the Senate in January 2025.
The Washington Examiner questioned McLaughlin last month on whether the White House had pushed her or Noem to do fewer media interviews, given the fallout in Minneapolis. McLaughlin insisted that she had not been told to do less press.
McLaughlin’s boss, Noem, has faced growing calls over the past several weeks to resign, including from Republicans in Congress. Lawmakers are unhappy with her initial mischaracterization during a press conference of Alex Pretti in Minneapolis as a “domestic terrorist.”
As the assistant secretary for public affairs at the DHS, McLaughlin traveled with Noem on many trips to visit with DHS agency employees across the United States and globally.
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She spoke on television, radio, and at press conferences about the department’s various missions, especially immigration enforcement.
The DHS has not issued a statement.
Rob Crilly contributed to this report.