‘Was That the Comment?’: Hot Mic Catches Trump’s Handpicked Cabinet Member’s ‘Locker Room Talk’ as the White House Scrambles to Contain the Fallout
President Donald Trump’s current Homeland Security Secretary had a noteworthy appearance on live television for all the wrong reasons.
Trump, 80, handpicked former GOP Senator from Oklahoma, Markwayne Mullin, to head the Department of Homeland Security after firing Kristi Noem.
Mullin, 48, took over the federal agency amid outrage over how Noem, 54, mishandled immigration enforcement-related detentions and fatal shootings.
Those scandals cast a dark cloud over DHS as Mullin stepped into the high-pressure position in March, facing an uphill battle to improve what the last person ruined.
The Tulsa-born politician is already in the hot seat after suffering an embarrassing viral moment just three months into his role.
Mullin was booked to appear on the conservative news channel Newsmax.
However, the remote interview opened with the Homeland Security Secretary immediately being taken aback by the transition.
“Wake Up America” host Marc Lotter welcomed a fidgeting Mullin to the show for a radio program he clearly was unprepared for.
As the live feed cut to him, Mullin could be heard telling someone off camera, “So you could see all the heifers.”
It’s unclear if he knew he could be heard, as he didn’t take the hint from the Newsmax anchors, who awkwardly giggled.
While Mullin is a cattle rancher who likely has many heifers — cows that have not had a calf — on his 1,600-acre Mullin Ranch, his blatant use of a term often used as an insult for women did not sit well with many people on social media.
“Calling women heifers isn’t locker room talk. It’s straight up misogyny. Do better,” wrote one Thread user, slamming the Cherokee Nation member. A second expressed, “Heifers can lose weight . Yet you can’t lose being a stupid a hole.”
Over on X, a commenter borrowed one of Trump’s infamous putdowns for Mexican immigrants from the 2016 presidential campaign to slam Mullin. The tweet read, “This guy is a bad hombre. And not in a cool way.”
“They don’t see women. They see heifers? Was that the comment? Uncomfortable,” posted another person.
President Donald Trump is clearly impressed with his newly confirmed Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin … not just when it comes to his work — but by his wife, too…
: LiveNOW from FOX pic.twitter.com/xBw87NhZdY
— TMZ (@TMZ) March 25, 2026
Another said, “This guy is the most unqualified DB, in any position on earth. I wouldn’t trust this dude to run the register at my shop for an afternoon.”
Meanwhile, one critic pointed the finger at Trump by tweeting, “Elect a clown – you get a circus.”
Conversation shifted as many began to wonder how long Mullin would keep his job.
“Just a matter of time before this guy opens his big mouth and embarrasses Trump and he will go the way of Noem. Notice she just got a real job because the job Trump gave her was non existent and was pedaled to make it look like he still had faith in her.”
Noem was appointed Special Envoy for the “Shield of the Americas” after she was removed from her position as Secretary of Homeland Security in March.
An edited version of the Mullin interview was published on Newsmax’s YouTube channel on June 18.
However, the hot mic gaffe was edited out of the seven-minute video.
The day Mullin officially joined the Trump administration, he was humiliated by his new boss, who made a remark at the swearing-in ceremony about his wife.
Mullin is married to 47-year-old Christie Mullin, who accompanied him to meet with Trump in the Oval Office at the White House on March 24.
“I want to thank the family, because without the family, he’s not here,” Trump stated at the formal introduction.
He added, “And that goes especially for mom, who looks like she’s about 22 years old.”
The following month, late-night comedian and longtime Trump tormenter Jimmy Kimmel cracked jokes about Mullin’s pre-politics.
Kimmel, 58, took aim at Mullin’s past career as a plumber in a monologue for his ABC program.
“Trump’s got a whole new generation of thinkers lined up, including his newly confirmed secretary of Homeland Security, Markwayne, Chuck Mike, Bruce Dave Melon, Mullin Mel, maybe Melon’s better,” Kimmel quipped.
The Emmy Award winner also sarcastically said, “We have a plumber protecting us from terrorism, now. It worked for Super Mario, why not Markwayne? It’s, but honestly, I mean, if Trump is going to keep picking these qualified people to run the department, why not have more fun with it?”
Whether it is being made into a punchline on a late-night comedy show or getting caught off guard on a morning news show, Mullin seemingly has a daunting challenge of escaping the ominous shadow cast by the increasingly unpopular Trump 2.0 administration.