When she was US Secretary of Homeland Security, Kirsti Noem spread a false story that a cannibal who ate other people and then, on his Immigration and Customs Enforcement deportation flight, began to eat himself, reported by Fox News. A video published by Daily Mail shows Noem telling the tale, with Trump nodding.
The recorded sequence of Noem and Trump was from an immigration policy roundtable conference. Both wearing caps with “Make America Great Again” and “”Gulf of America” written on them.
The Intercept writes that three federal officials, including one from Noem’s DHS, said the story was fabricated. One called it “completely false,” and two others told The Intercept the claims were baseless and lacked evidence.
Snopes.com describes how the claim circulated widely on Facebook (archived), Instagram (archived), Threads (archived), Bluesky (archived), Reddit (archived) and TikTok (archived). Right-wing influencer Nick Sortor, who has over 1,2 million followers. Sortor is described by NBC News and The Guardian as a MAGA influencer and as a Trump supporter by ABC has spread the story on X.
Kristi Noem was fired as Homeland Security Secretary primarily due to two congressional hearings. She publicly contradicted President Trump’s account of an ad campaign, which seems to have triggered her being fired. The $220 million campaign reportedly focused heavily on her personal biography and image rather than just the Department of Homeland Security’s work.
This was compounded by months of mounting controversies, including fatal shootings by federal agents, allegations of corruption and wasteful spending, and criticism over her management of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). She was immediately reassigned to a new, role as a special envoy.