Who is Markwayne Mullen, Trump’s new nominee for the Department of Homeland Security?

Mullen, a former mixed martial arts fighter and collegiate wrestler, has gained a reputation as a Senate fighter and has become friendlier with Trump since they attended an NCAA wrestling event together in Tulsa in 2023.

“Marquin will make an amazing Secretary of Homeland Security,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social account.

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Mullen told reporters at the Capitol on Thursday that he would make the Department of Homeland Security “focused on protecting the homeland.”

He added: “Regardless of whether you support me, you don’t support me. I will be very focused on getting this done.”

Mullen’s rise to the position of US Senator

As a Cherokee citizen, Mullen emerged from a crowded GOP field in 2022 to win the vacant U.S. Senate seat in Oklahoma. He was running a successful plumbing company in Oklahoma — known for its red trucks with “The Red Rooter” logo on the side — when he first ran for the U.S. House of Representatives and portrayed himself as a political outsider fed up with government regulations that stifle companies like his.

He eventually won the seat representing Oklahoma’s sprawling 2nd District, a rural seat that was once a Democratic stronghold but has become increasingly conservative over the past decade.

Reputation as a fighter in Congress

His fiery exchanges in the Senate included a 2023 hearing with the president of the International Brotherhood of Truckers, when Mullen told the union leader to “stand his ass up,” before standing from his seat and appearing to take off his ring.

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“If you want to talk, we can be consenting adults,” Mullen told Sean O’Brien, the union’s president, with whom Mullen had previously engaged in a back-and-forth on social media. “We can end it here.”

Months after his confrontation with O’Brien, the two reconciled. Mullen described the union leader as a “new friend.”

The interaction highlighted how Mullen is one of Trump’s most aggressive defenders in Congress, often bickering with people on social media, but often a gentle presence at the Capitol. He has been known to walk the halls wearing a cowboy hat and boots, sometimes bouncing a rubber ball while speaking with reporters.

He is also a conduit between the White House and Senate Republican leadership and has maintained relationships since his days in the House. He still occasionally leads workout sessions at his home gym.

In his State of the Union address last month, Mullen criticized a sign held by Rep. Al Green that read, “Black people are not apes,” in reference to a racist video the president posted depicting former President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama as bosses in the jungle.

During the US withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021, Mullen made headlines when he attempted to enter the country from multiple locations and was rejected. Mullen said he was trying to help an American family flee Afghanistan.

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Mullen has faced some criticism

Mullen initially pledged to serve only three terms in Congress, a promise he later reneged on when he announced his plans to run again, saying afterwards that he “didn’t understand politics” when he originally made his initial pledge.

Mullen also faced criticism for receiving at least $1.8 million from a federal bailout program designed to keep small businesses afloat during the coronavirus pandemic.

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Data from the US Treasury Department showed that four separate companies owned by Mullen received a total of between $800,000 and $1.9 million from the Paycheck Protection Program. A spokeswoman for Mullen said at the time that the congressman was not involved in the companies’ day-to-day operations and referred questions to the company’s CFO.

Cherokee Nation leader pays tribute to Mullen

Mullen has supported legislation important to tribal citizens and advocated for tribal sovereignty, and he may run against Trump in 2024, describing the president as strong on issues affecting Native communities.

“It is extremely encouraging to have someone with such a deep understanding of federal Indian policy, law and justice rise to such a critical leadership role within a powerful federal agency,” Cherokee Nation Grand Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr. said Thursday.

As a tribal citizen, Mullen can address recent allegations that members of federally recognized tribes have been targeted by ICE officers, including some documented cases of their arrests and detentions.

Associated Press reporter Graham Brewer in Norman, Oklahoma, contributed to this report.