That was the scenario on Saturday night when Kristi Noem, the former governor of South Dakota, was inaugurated as the new Secretary of Homeland Security at the residence of Justice Clarence Thomas.
Being sworn in as the Secretary of Homeland Security for the United States was a tremendous privilege, made even more special by the fact that the oath was administered by Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas in his residence. I am grateful to President Trump for his confidence in me to contribute to the security of our nation. pic.twitter.com/5gHiGKW0kp
— Secretary Kristi Noem (@Sec_Noem) January 25, 2025
Side note: Thomas has similar pipes to the late, great James Earl Jones. Impressive.
But why did the ceremony take place at Thomas’ residence? Many might be curious to find out. It was actually due to an undisclosed scheduling conflict. Although no specific reason was provided for the delay, the event proceeded as planned:
South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem was sworn in as Department of Homeland Security secretary by Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas at his home Saturday, following a scheduling hiccup earlier in the day.
The ceremony, which was originally slated to take place in the Indian Treaty Room inside the Navy Department Wing of the Eisenhower Executive Office Building in Washington, D.C., at 3 p.m., was postponed multiple times.
She had thanked Trump for the opportunity earlier in the day:
Thank you, Mr. President @realDonaldTrump, for the confidence in me to serve as Secretary of Homeland Security.
I will work to make America SAFE again!
— Kristi Noem (@KristiNoem) January 25, 2025
