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Markwayne’s World

A combative, law-and-order Trump loyalist with a steep learning curve on policy, Markwayne Mullin has leveraged his relationship with the president to rise from Oklahoma backbencher to Kristi Noem’s likely successor as secretary of Homeland Security.

Markwayne Mullin
Mullin is lower-profile and much less theatrical than Noem, which isn’t to say he’s not a character. He’s an ex-MMA fighter who pops a Benadryl before slathering peanut butter on his pancakes, and walks around Capitol hallways bouncing a pink rubber bouncy ball because he says it helps him stay awake. Photo: Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images
Leigh Ann Caldwell
March 18, 2026

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During the week of President Donald Trump’s first inauguration, Markwayne Mullin, then a young congressman from Oklahoma, attended a standing-room-only event in Washington with tribal leaders and advocates. Trump had been hostile to Native American gaming since the 1980s, and the tribes were worried about how the newly elected president was going to treat the industry. Mullin, a member of the Cherokee Nation, promised to be the guy to build their relationship with Trump. He had a direct line to the president, after all.