The Kristi Noem Shoe Choice That Ruined An Entire Outfit

"It's always so exciting to be with the our [sic] young leaders talking about the gift our country is to us, our history, and the importance of serving each other," Kristi Noem posted to Instagram in July 2025. The Secretary of Homeland Security had just attended the Turning Points USA Student Action Summit — a right-wing political jamboree operating like an ideological Coachella for conservative youth — joined by the likes of Donald Trump Jr, Tucker Carlson, Megyn Kelly, and Russell Brand (a curious choice, considering he's currently better known for the cloud of allegations that continues to follow him from Britain, however defiantly he marches on). What is less exciting, however, is the fashion that followed the fanfare. Her styling hit another discordant note.

Noem took to the stage in a navy blue floral midi dress paired with a wrist watch and a long necklace of pearls. Her full-blown hairdo spoke exactly to the Republican glam we've come to expect from the women of the right (though Noem looks so different ditching her hair extensions). It wasn't the worst look we've seen from her; it might have even passed without comment. But then came the shoes.

Peeking out from beneath her hem of her dress were a pair of beige, brash, brand-stamped Coach pumps. The shoes simply clashed with the safe florals, not to mention there was nothing contemporary about them. Whilst loud logo-laden bags were the handbag trend that came back with a vengeance in 2025, shoes haven't followed suit — at least, not like this. The embossed branding felt like something she'd fished out of an outlet mall, and the stiletto silhouette — scorned off as one of the outdated heel trends to step away from in 2025 — only confirmed her disconnect.

Kristi Noem isn't alone. Her footwear faux pas is just another example in a long parade of questionable shoe choices from Republican women. The bland shoe trend that took MAGA woman by storm is the ever-present nude pointy, patent pump. Noem's Coach heels, whilst technically a variation on this tired theme, weren't different enough to escape the same aesthetic rut.

But Noem and fashion, in general, rarely hold a winning ticket. She hopped onto the outdated 3D floral dress trend a whole year too late — managing to make it look like a high school prom get-up. In addition, with her wardrobe of cowboy hats and baseball caps, she's become known for outfits that feel like satirical cosplay. On X, formerly known as Twitter, she's even earned the nickname "Trump's secretary of Dress Up." As another user so memorably put it, "Kristi Noem, with heavy makeup, a distinctive fashion sense, and a propensity for unapologetic puppy murder, is the human embodiment of Cruella DeVille." Frankly, we don't need 101 dalmations to know her looks are barking mad.