Markwayne Mullin, a U.S. senator from Oklahoma and former mixed martial artist, is set to enter a much different field after President Donald Trump to serve as the next Secretary of Homeland Security.

“I am pleased to announce that the Highly Respected United States Senator from the Great State of Oklahoma, Markwayne Mullin, will become the United States Secretary of Homeland Security,” President Donald Trump on Truth Social. He added that current Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem will take on a new role as special envoy for the Shield of the Americas.

Once officially nominated, Mullin will face Senate confirmation hearings, where Democrats are likely to question him about how he would oversee the Administration’s strict immigration policies.

Mullin, 48, is currently in his first term as a U.S. senator from Oklahoma. As a member of the Cherokee Nation, he is the first Native American senator in two decades. Prior to that, he served as a U.S. representative for Oklahoma’s Second Congressional District from 2013 to 2023.

A strong supporter of Trump, Mullin campaigned as a surrogate across several battleground states in 2024, reaching out to Native American voters. During Trump’s campaign, Mullin hinted he would be “proud” to work with the president “in the Senate or another capacity,” Axios . 

As a federal legislator, Mullin has not served on either the House Homeland Security Committee or the Senate Homeland Security Committee. In the Senate, his committee assignments include the Armed Services Committee, Appropriations Committee, Indian Affairs Committee, and the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee.

In 2013, during his first year in Congress, Mullin was referred to the House Ethics Committee over concerns about outside income linked to his radio show and commercial appearances for his family’s plumbing business. He later repaid funds following the committee’s review.

Most recently, the Oklahoma senator made headlines during Trump’s State of the Union address when he held by Texas Democratic Rep. Al Green reading “Black People Aren’t Apes”—a message Green displayed in response to a post by the President widely condemned as racist.

In 2023, Mullin had a tense exchange during a Senate hearing with Sean O’Brien, president of America’s largest union, the Teamsters, after O’Brien’s on X calling Mullin a “fraud” and a “clown.” Mullin challenged him to a cage fight before Sen. Bernie Sanders intervened and urged them to stop.

Before entering politics, Mullin was a rancher and owner of his family’s plumbing business, which he took over after his father became ill. In 2010, he earned an Associate Degree in construction technology from Oklahoma State University Institute of Technology, making him the only currently serving U.S. senator without a bachelor’s degree. Mullin also competed as a mixed martial arts fighter, winning three professional bouts between 2006 and 2007.