Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin sparked backlash from MAGA elites over his cozy relations with high-profile Democrats – including two rumored contenders for the 2028 presidential election.

The torrent of criticism from the Trump-aligned spectrum included former Customs and Border Patrol chief Gregory Bovino, Laura Loomer, Tomi Lahren, and Steve Bannon, among others, and came after Mullin used a speech in Oklahoma City to strike a more moderate tone on immigration.

Mullin, during the speech, attempted to distinguish immigrants in the US who are pursuing legal status and call for changes to employment visa programs to help address the country’s labor shortages.

‘We haven’t had actual immigration reform since 1959,’ Mullin said, speaking at the National Governors’ Association Summer Meeting in Oklahoma City. ‘There’s a reason. It’s political.’

‘If we’re looking to grow our economy, then we need to look at making more permanent solutions,’ he added.

The praise – and the backlash – was swift from both corners of the internet, as Democrats heaped praise on Mullin, and Trump acolytes accused him of failing to hew to Trump’s hardline immigration agenda. 

‘Voters asked for mass deportations. Clear demand. High priority. No ambiguity,’ former Border Patrol Chief Gregory Bovino said on social media in response to Mullin’s remarks, which he blasted as a ‘masterclass’ in how to give ‘terrible answers’ during an interview. 

 Others in Trump’s orbit suggested to Politico they’d be open to replacing Mullin with a more overtly bullish pick to head up DHS. 

Then-Senator Markwayne Mullin testifies during his confirmation hearing to be the next Homeland Security Secretary

DH Secretary Markwayne Mullin listens as Trump speaks by the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool

Then-Customs and Border Patrol official Greg Bovino is seen in Minnesota 

Bill Pulte, the former acting DNI, speaks with reporters at the White House

Steve Bannon, former Trump adviser, speaks to the media outside the New York Criminal Court in Manhattan 

Some floated Bill Pulte, Trump’s hard-charging, the controversial former director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency and former acting DNI chief, as a possible contender. 

‘MAGA wants President Trump to detail ‘Pitbull’ Pulte to DHS,” former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon told Politico. ‘Mullin is the wrong guy at the wrong time for the wrong job – a time when we need focus on ‘mass deportations,’ we get an amnesty advocate,’ he said. 

‘The guy running DHS is making the case for ‘immigration reform,’ he added. ‘We’ve seen this script before.’

He was not the only MAGA influencer to bluntly criticize Mullin, whose tactics could be viewed as a sharp contrast to former DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, who was fired just five months prior due in part to her controversial immigration tactics. 

‘It takes a lot to unite this administration around a cohesive point of view,’ another senior administration official told the outlet. ‘Mullin deserves credit where credit is due. Everyone agrees he sucks donkey butt.’ 

Mullin’s reputation also took a hit following his praise of Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, a Democrat, with whom he previously told Politico he shares a ‘real good relationship’ with.

Maryland Governor Wes Moore, also Democrat, praised Mullin’s remarks in Oklahoma City as a breath of fresh air from a senior Trump official. 

There has been an ‘absolute difference in what we have seen from the start of the [Trump] administration until now,’ he said.

But several hours after his speech, Mullin appeared to have gotten the message from Trump’s allies loud and clear. 

‘NO amnesty for illegal aliens. Ever,’ Mullin said on social media, apparently reneging on his earlier remarks.