Wrestler, senator, tribal citizen: Who is Markwayne Mullin, Trump鈥檚 pick to lead DHS?
| Washington
Oklahoma Sen. Markwayne Mullin appears on track to become the next Homeland Security secretary this month. He will be taking over a hulking agency that is strained by a government shutdown, on alert for heightened risks from war in Iran, and under pressure to carry out mass deportations.
Mr. Mullin鈥檚 rise to a Cabinet nomination might once have seemed unlikely to the rancher, former mixed martial arts fighter, and collegiate wrestler, who entered Congress in 2013 as a political outsider. 鈥淚 didn鈥檛 even buy my first suit until after I won the primary,鈥� the Republican said as a House freshman.
Around that time, Mr. Mullin聽 to serve no more than three terms 鈥� though he wound up serving five before running for the Senate. He said then that he didn鈥檛 want to waste time in Washington and 鈥渂ecome part of the problem.鈥�
Why We Wrote This
A leadership change is underway at the Department of Homeland Security at a critical time for the agency. Republicans are counting on Oklahoma Sen. Markwayne Mullin, a former wrestler and plumbing business owner, to navigate pressures including a loss of government funding.
President Donald Trump sees the Oklahoman as a solution. Two weeks ago, the president fired DHS Secretary Kristi Noem after months of mounting controversies tied to her leadership, including conflict of interest concerns. When Mr. Trump tapped Mr. Mullin as her replacement, dubbing him a 鈥�,鈥� the lawmaker expressed a mix of gratitude and . Mr. Mullin will face his Senate colleagues at a confirmation hearing Wednesday.
鈥淧resident Trump ran on restoring law and order, and he quickly delivered the most secure U.S. border in American history,鈥� Mr. Mullin said in a social media after news of his nomination. He said he looked forward to supporting Mr. Trump鈥檚 mission 鈥渢o safeguard the American people and defend the homeland.鈥�
If confirmed, the father of six will become the boss to more than 260,000 鈥� overseeing airport and border security, immigration enforcement, the Secret Service, and the Coast Guard. He鈥檒l be taking over at a tense time. A partial shutdown at DHS has strained resources for five weeks and left thousands without pay, while the war in Iran heightens threats to the homeland. The funding freeze began as Democrats in Congress demanded changes around the conduct of immigration officers and agents after the fatal shootings of two U.S. citizens in Minneapolis in January. Lawmakers still do not appear close to a resolution.
Mr. Mullin, who owned and ran a plumbing company prior to his years in government, lacks a law enforcement background. But that鈥檚 been true of most Senate-confirmed secretaries since DHS was formed after 9/11. A top qualification might be his loyalty, and resulting access, to President Trump. Observers also say Mr. Mullin鈥檚 bipartisan connections might serve him well during the confirmation process and beyond.
鈥淗e鈥檚 actually very well liked on both sides. He鈥檚 somebody that is going to be fair,鈥� Republican Sen. John Boozman of Arkansas told the Monitor. He predicts that Mr. Mullin 鈥渨on鈥檛 have any trouble getting confirmed.鈥�
Rural roots
The first-term senator grew up in rural Westville, an eastern Oklahoma town where his family has a cow-calf operation. He鈥檚 been spotted in the halls of Congress in a cowboy hat.
Mr. Mullin married his high school sweetheart in the late 1990s, around the time the 海角大神 says he 鈥済ave my heart to the Lord.鈥� His father, dealing with health issues, offered the newlyweds his plumbing company deep in debt.
The young Mullin says he saved the business, then started several others. Red tape, he says, propelled him into politics.
鈥淚 got fed up with the fact that my biggest threat, to our way of life, is the federal government,鈥� he told an interviewer in 2013. 鈥淚 can鈥檛 keep up with the amount of regulations.鈥�
Mr. Mullin spent a decade in the House before joining the Senate following a special election in 2022.
His athletic legacy, as a wrestler and mixed martial arts fighter, followed him to Washington. A decade ago, the Oklahoma chapter of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame honored Mr. Mullin with an 鈥淥utstanding American鈥� , noting that a 鈥渞ecurring shoulder injury鈥� cut short his dream of wrestling at a major university. He left higher education without a bachelor鈥檚 degree 鈥� reportedly the only current senator . Mr. Mullin did earn an associate鈥檚 degree from Oklahoma State University.
鈥淔aith and family are very important to Markwayne,鈥� says Lee Roy Smith, executive director of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame and a former wrestler himself. 鈥淚t seems like everybody kind of knows him, because he鈥檚 a very friendly guy,鈥� says Mr. Smith, who says that Mr. Mullin is a donor to his organization. 鈥淗e鈥檚 tough when he needs to be tough. But he鈥檚 a networker and a collaborator.鈥�
Mr. Smith says the senator has helped get Mr. Trump to attend some NCAA wrestling championship matches. According to Mr. Mullin, the president comforted one of the senator鈥檚 sons following a severe wrestling injury in 2020, calling to check in every week for 18 months.
鈥淚鈥檓 not saying [President Tump]鈥檚 the most, you know, moral man out there,鈥� Mr. Mullin told a . 鈥淏ut as far as being a father and a leader, the guy鈥檚 got that right.鈥�
Mr. Mullin has reciprocated that loyalty. On Jan. 6, 2021, he in favor of blocking President Joe Biden鈥檚 election victory (after helping to barricade a U.S. Capitol door against rioters earlier that day).
Track record in Congress
The lawmaker has faced some bumps in the road. Mr. Mullin made headlines in 2023 for challenging a union leader to a fight during a Senate hearing, telling him, "If you want to run your mouth. ... We can finish it here.鈥� Two years later, the two men made enough amends to a nominee for labor secretary together.
Mr. Mullin has also fielded of financial disclosure violations; the senator鈥檚 office has acknowledged late filings. The New York Times that his assets grew from around $2.8 million to $9 million when he first entered Congress, to between $29 million and $97 million in 2024. Much of that appears to have come from the value of his plumbing company, which he sold to a private equity firm in 2021. He also made a number of lucrative stock trades during his time in Congress. Members of Congress are not prohibited from trading individual stocks.
If confirmed, Mr. Mullin would arrive at DHS with some relevant expertise. For one, Mr. Mullin has served on the Senate Armed Services Committee. As DHS secretary, he would oversee the Coast Guard, which alongside other service branches has surged to the southern border.
An enrolled citizen of the Cherokee Nation, Mr. Mullin has also served on the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs. In Minnesota and beyond, tribal members have alleged that racial profiling by federal immigration officials has led to unjustified stops and arrests. DHS has denied such claims.
Proponents of strong immigration enforcement say it鈥檚 important for the DHS secretary to respect the institutional expertise of officials beneath them.
The men and women of DHS 鈥渁re just wanting somebody to lead them,鈥� says Scott Mechkowski, a retired deputy field office director at Immigration and Customs Enforcement. 鈥淵ou need to have somebody that鈥檚 not there trying to brand themselves, and catapult themselves politically, or financially, to the next level.鈥�
After being sidelined by the outgoing secretary, White House border czar Tom Homan is making a 鈥渃oncerted effort鈥� to build rapport with Mr. Mullin, Politico has .
鈥淢an for the moment鈥�
MAGA credentials aside, Mr. Mullin has a reputation for extending a hand across the aisle.
He has led at a House gym. Some colleagues have nicknamed the senator the 鈥溾�� 鈥� after his knack for liaising with the lower chamber.
Sen. John Fetterman has already made clear that Mr. Mullin has his vote. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 know why other Democrats wouldn鈥檛 want to vote to support him for a new chapter here,鈥� he told reporters last week. Elsewhere, the Pennsylvania Democrat has described Mr. Mullin as an upgrade from Ms. Noem, and as a 鈥済ood dude.鈥�
鈥淲e both agree that we鈥檙e not going to have anything like a tragedy like in Minneapolis,鈥� Mr. Fetterman says. The focus now, he adds, is 鈥渟ecure our border, deport all the criminals.鈥�
Meanwhile, Mr. Mullin enjoys strong endorsements from his colleagues on the right.
鈥淢arkwayne loves this country, and he鈥檚 going to do everything in his power to protect it, to protect our citizens,鈥� GOP Sen. Katie Britt of Alabama told the Monitor.
鈥淚 think he is the man for the moment, and I think he鈥檚 going to meet it,鈥� she says. 鈥淎nd the president knows that.鈥�
Sarah Matusek reported from Denver, and Caitlin Babcock from Washington.
