Kristi Noem’s love for a photo opportunity has been on full display as the homeland security secretary embarks on a tour of the Middle East.
Noem, dubbed “ICE Barbie” by critics due to her highly stylized public appearance while showing off the Trump administration’s hardline immigration policies, continued to dress the part in a rotating wardrobe of outfits during her diplomatic tour in Bahrain and Israel.
Noem’s visit to Israel in particular has come under the microscope after President Donald Trump did not visit the area during his recent own charm offensive in the Middle East. The snub was widely interpreted as a signal of Trump’s growing frustration with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu amid tensions over the war in Gaza.
ADVERTISEMENT
Instead, Noem has been seemingly dispatched to meet with Netanyahu to offer an olive branch, as well as commemorate the two Israeli embassy staff members who were shot dead in Washington, D.C. on May 21 in a suspected targeted attack.
The homeland security secretary has also used the trip as another opportunity to play dress-up for the cameras, including donning Aviator sunglasses with a bulletproof vest.
On Saturday, Noem was on meal-serving duties as she did a meet-and-greet with stationed U.S. sailors and coast guardsmen at Naval Support Activity base in Manama, Bahrain.
As usual, she showed up in full makeup and jewelry, topped off with a camouflage Coast Guard baseball cap for effect.
The following day, Noem wore a different Coast Guard hat while delivering a speech at the base, albeit this time in a t-shirt and jeans combination.
Noem kept the more casual look but added her sunglasses and a lifejacket as she rode with Coast Guard and military officials on an Over the Horizon Small Boat as part of her visit to the Naval Support Activity.
Next on the itinerary was a Sunday meeting with Bahrain’s King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, and a camel ride prior to visiting the historic archaeological site, Qal’at al-Bahrain Fort.
While riding the camels, Noem opted for more desert-suitable attire with a sleeveless black top and head scarf.
Elsewhere on Sunday, Noem wore a dark blue dress as she visited the Western Wall in the Old City of Jerusalem, alongside Janet Huckabee, wife of U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee.
Noem also took part in a tree planting ceremony with Mike Huckabee and Israel’s Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar in Jerusalem, resulting in the homeland security secretary being forced to kneel with an unfortunate thigh-high split in her skirt.
Finally, Noem put back on her earrings and black sunglasses and paired them with a bulletproof vest as she was shown the Black Arrow memorial site close to the Israel-Gaza border by Israeli armed forces on Monday.
Noem met with Netanyahu on Sunday during a commemoration ceremony marking the deaths of U.S. Israeli embassy staff Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Milgrim.
Noem told those in attendance that Trump that stand with Israel as “we fight this hatred in the world,” and shared a message of “unity among us that will help us defeat our enemies,” reported The New York Times.
