A former Trump administration political operative and rumored paramour of former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem is plotting a return from political exile while maintaining his relationship with her, according to the New York Post.
Corey Lewandowski, 52, served as an unpaid senior adviser and acting chief of staff to Noem before her exit from the administration, which came a few months after federal agents in Minneapolis killed two citizens. The deaths of Renee Good and Alex Pretti prompted the administration to walk back its aggressive approach to immigration enforcement and spelled the beginning of the end for ‘ICE Barbie’ Noem.
The fallout ended Lewandowski’s formal role alongside Noem, but according to the Post, he’s now maneuvering his way back into President Donald Trump’s orbit.
“Corey is looking for ways to get back in good with President Trump,” one Republican strategist said. Lewandowski caught attention inside the Beltway when he singled out Senate Majority Leader John Thune of South Dakota as a potential primary target.
“John Thune, who happens to be up for re-election—not this November but two years from now—is very susceptible to a very serious Republican primary challenge,” Lewandowski told conservative podcaster John Fredericks in late June.
“The American people will be looking at someone who has a proven history of winning an election in South Dakota to maybe challenge John Thune,” he added, a description sources said evoked Noem.
Multiple Republicans stated that staying on Trump’s good side is crucial for Lewandowski if he is to succeed in his alleged comeback plot.
“He values that relationship more than anything else,” one source said, while another confirmed Lewandowski “dines out” on having the attention of the MAGA chief.
Reached for comment Thursday, Lewandowski insisted to the Post that his comments were about the voters, not himself. “President Trump carried the state of South Dakota by nearly 30 points. The people of that state overwhelmingly support his agenda for America,” he said. “No politician is immune to the will of the voters.”
Lewandowski then made a comment that reads like a suck-up to Trump, urging senators to pass Trump’s SAVE America Act, legislation that would require Americans to provide proof of citizenship when registering to vote and present photo ID at the polls, something the president has made a priority.
Although Thune has insisted the measure lacks the Senate votes to clear the chamber—a persistent point of friction with the White House—Lewandowski delivered a sharp directive: “I would encourage every incumbent senator to achieve this objective.”
The Daily Beast approached Lewandowski and received the same response. He ignored a question about Noem being his alleged lover.
The maneuvering comes just days after Noem and Lewandowski were spotted hanging out together in a suburb of Minneapolis. The two joined each other on Tuesday for an afternoon of biking in Wayzata, roughly nine miles west of the city.
In footage obtained by TMZ, the pair biked beside Lake Minnetonka before stopping for an outdoor table at The Grocer’s Table, then biked on to the restaurant CōV, where they sat outside and appeared to laugh over something on Noem’s phone. At one point, Lewandowski seemed to notice he was being filmed and quickly turned away.
Lewandowski and Noem have long denied being romantically involved. Lewandowski told the Daily Beast in March that he had denied having an affair with Noem 10,000 times, and that his call with the Beast was No. 10,001.
He still appears to be married, and has four children with his wife, Alison. Noem’s mother said last month that the former Cabinet official is divorcing her husband, Bryon, with whom she has three children.
Earlier this year, it was revealed that Bryon, 56, had an online alter ego as a crossdresser. “It’s called bimbofication. People who modify their body to look like a doll. The Barbie look,” one model told the Daily Mail. “His kink is for huge, huge ridiculous boobs.”
The alleged relationship between Noem and Lewandowski, dubbed Washington’s “worst-kept secret,” reportedly contributed to Noem’s ouster.
