Kristi Noem’s recent rise in visibility as Secretary of Homeland Security under President Donald Trump has people talking—but not just about politics. Her appearance this past weekend on an NBC talk show set social media on fire, with viewers more focused on her face than on what she had to say.
Wearing sleek makeup and dressed in a polished ensemble, Kristi looked camera-ready. But instead of discussing her policies or television performance, users on X, formerly known as Twitter, honed in on how drastically different she looks now compared to just a few years ago. Her skin appeared flawless and tight, her cheeks were extra flushed, and her lips were glossy. And that was enough to spark a full-blown internet debate over whether she’s had cosmetic work done.
“South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem’s appearance has changed drastically in the last decade, leaving many to believe that she has undergone some cosmetic procedures, although she has never confirmed,” one user commented, adding to the thousands of similar posts speculating about her face, reported the Express.
Others were less subtle. “Kristi Noem. Ick. Also, they don’t even look good,” one person wrote. “They look like they are chasing their 20s with bad plastic surgery, hair extensions, spray tans, and fake lashes.”
Another user chimed in, “Why does Kristi Noem @Sec_KristiNoem1 try to look like a twenty-year-old with so much cosmetic surgery and fillers?”
The online frenzy picked up steam as old photos of Noem began circulating, offering side-by-side comparisons that showed fuller cheeks, more arched eyebrows, and noticeably smoother skin in her recent appearances. For many, it was all the confirmation they needed to believe she’d had some kind of surgical or injectable help.
And this isn’t just about one woman’s beauty routine. Commenters have tied Kristi’s new look to a wider trend among conservative women in Trump’s inner circle. She’s now being called a classic case of what people online have dubbed the “Mar-a-Lago face”—a specific aesthetic defined by plumped lips, lifted brows, long lashes, glossy skin, heavy contouring, and often, telltale signs of fillers or Botox.
One user laid it out clearly: “They all ultimately have that plastic surgery that makes you have horse/duck lips and a weird face that doesn’t move. See Kristi Noem and Kristi Guilfoyle, Melania Trump.”
The New York Times even referred to Kristi’s image shift as the “Trumpification of Kristi Noem,” a nod to the growing speculation that there’s a kind of unspoken makeover playbook for women who get close to Trump’s political orbit.
Kristi herself has only admitted to having some dental work, brushing off other questions about her looks. But the timing of her transformation—most noticeable after she joined Trump’s cabinet—has raised eyebrows. A lot of them.
While Kristi hasn’t commented on the plastic surgery rumors, the internet certainly has. And love it or hate it, her new appearance is grabbing attention in ways that policy speeches never could.