Top DHS Spokesperson Is Stepping Down

A high-profile voice defending the Trump administration's immigration push is stepping down. Tricia McLaughlin, the combative spokesperson for Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and one of the administration's most visible champions of its crackdown, will leave the Department of Homeland Security next week, according to agency officials. Axios reports that McLaughlin will be replaced by Lauren Bis, currently McLaughlin's deputy. Bis' new title will be assistant secretary of public affairs.

McLaughlin's exit comes as public support for the administration's approach erodes: A recent Reuters/Ipsos poll found 58% of Americans think the crackdown has gone "too far," per Politico. McLaughlin had already been planning at the end of last year to depart, but she stayed on through the fallout from two fatal shootings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti in January.

Internally, some administration officials have questioned Noem's leadership amid a string of unflattering headlines, including a widely discussed Wall Street Journal story that depicted "constant chaos" at the agency, per Politico. McLaughlin, a veteran GOP communicator and former aide to Vivek Ramaswamy and Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine, had become a regular media presence, often logging multiple TV hits a day. It's unclear what she'll do next, though she has said a future run for office isn't off the table.