The Kristi Noem & Corey Lewandowski Affair Rumors Heat Up Again (All Thanks To Trump)

Kristi Noem was selected by Donald Trump as the Secretary of Homeland Security, and she was confirmed for the position in January. "I knew that it would be needed to have someone in the position, that would do what the president promised the American people," Noem said during her confirmation hearing, per NPR. Shortly after she officially took over the position at the Department of Homeland Security, it was announced that Corey Lewandowski would be joining Noem's staff. News of the two working together reignited speculation about Noem and Lewandowski's rumored affair.

The flames of the alleged infidelity were further flamed by claims in a book titled "Revenge: The Inside Story of Trump's Return to Power," which says the truth about Noem and Lewandowski's purported dalliance is that even Trump was aware of their past. According to the book's author, Alex Isenstadt, Noem and Lewandowski carried out their affair back when Trump was gearing up for his reelection battle in 2019. Trump reportedly referred to Noem as Lewandowski's "girlfriend" and said that he was "[batting] out of his league." Isenstadt writes that the tryst continued into July 2024 during the Republican National Convention, where Lewandowski had his wife and Noem staying on the same floor of their hotel.

The New York Post reached out to Noem about the allegations, and a spokesperson vehemently denied them. "As I have said many times, the allegation of an affair is completely false. She never had conversations with President Trump or his team about a nonexistent affair," they told the outlet. Prior to the allegations laid out in the book, there had been multiple reports from different sources who made similar claims.

Long before Kristi Noem and Corey Lewandowski began working together at the Department of Homeland Security, a report was published by American Greatness in September 2021 claiming that the pair had an extramarital affair. The following day, Politico released a report detailing allegations from a former Donald Trump donor, Trashelle Odom, who said of Lewandowski, "He repeatedly touched me inappropriately, said vile and disgusting things to me, stalked me, and made me feel violated and fearful." The shady side of Noem was that she quickly cut ties with Lewandowski once the allegations from Odom surfaced. In fact, Lewandowski was completely thrown under the bus. "He will no longer be associated with Trump World," a Trump spokesperson told the Associated Press at the time.

Meanwhile, Noem went on the defensive about the reports that she and Lewandowski had an affair. "These rumors are total garbage and a disgusting lie," she wrote on X, formerly Twitter, in since-deleted tweets. "I love [my husband]. I'm proud of the God-fearing family we've raised together. Now I'm getting back to work," Noem added.

Two years later, the rumors about Noem and Lewandowski's indiscretions resurfaced. In September 2023, the Daily Mail reported that the two politicians had an affair over multiple years. At the same time, multiple sources told the New York Post that their dalliance had been an open secret. "I remember it was so absurdly blatant and public," one source said after recalling how Noem and Lewandowski had gotten "handsy" at a bar. "It's a lobby bar where everyone is staying ... the blatantness was absurd," the insider added. Four different sources shared corroborating stories with the outlet. "He's 100% banging her," one of them said.