Kristi Noem's controversial $70M luxury jet to be repurposed for Melania's personal use

By STEPHEN M. LEPORE, US SENIOR REPORTER Published: 02:35, 8 April 2026 | Updated: 02:49, 8 April 2026 Kristi Noem's controversial $70milion luxury jet will remain under the Trump administration's purview as First Lady Melania Trump will be among those who get to use it. Some of the president's cabinet secretaries will also be allowed to use the aircraft, which was originally purchased to help with Trump's mass deportation agenda, The Wall Street Journal reported.  The jet was bought by Immigration and Customs Enforcement and featured a bedroom, showers, a kitchen, four large flat-screen TVs and even a bar, according to images obtained by NBC News. The jet had already been leased by DHS and was used for a recent trip by Noem to Tel Aviv.   A spokesperson for DHS affirmed that the $70million jet was purchased prior to the confirmation of new Secretary Markwayne Mullin.  'This aircraft will be available to cabinet members who need secure command and control and rapid long-range mobility,' they added.  The White House referred reporters to the DHS when asked for comment.   ICE claims the jet will be used for deportations and travel for Cabinet officials, including DHS leadership like Noem.  Kristi Noem's controversial $70milion luxury jet will remain under the Trump administration's purview as First Lady Melania Trump will be among those who get to use it The jet had already been leased by DHS and was used for a recent trip by Noem to Tel Aviv But some DHS officials privately expressed concern to NBC whether the luxury 747 jet is necessary for Noem to carryout the president's mass deportation agenda.  When asked how the plane would be used for deportations, a DHS spokesperson said 'at least one of the bedrooms is currently being converted for seating to prepare the aircraft to meet the demands of its deportation mission'.  NBC's scoop caused the Republican National Committee to blast the story to the top power brokers and media pundits in the Republican party.  The story was sent on Thursday morning to an email list filled with some of the most important operators in the GOP, including RNC members.   'Knives are out for Noem. They only send out stories they want folks to know about,' one GOP operator on the RNC's list told the Daily Mail. 'They don't send out every clipping.' An RNC spokesperson, however, downplayed the significance of the story being sent to the narrow email server filled with top officials in the GOP. 'Whoever this 'source' is clearly has no idea how media monitoring works,' RNC Communications Director Zach Parkinson told the Daily Mail.  'The RNC Communications team routinely monitors and alerts all kinds of stories - even fake ones - as it helps Republican communicators push back on legacy media lies.' Should taxpayer-funded jets be used for officials' personal travel and luxury, or strictly official business? What's your view? Some DHS officials privately expressed concern whether the luxury 747 jet is necessary for Noem to carryout the president's mass deportation agenda  Noem's jet is equipped with a sprawling bedroom, flashy shower, and marble cocktail bar 'Secretary Noem and all of President Trump's appointees at DHS are doing great work and have the RNC's full support,' added Parkinson.  Noem was let go as DHS Secretary on March 5, with Mullin confirmed by the Senate shortly after.  Political appointees in ICE and the White House initially were not going to purchase the plane but suddenly changed their minds, according to NBC's report.  'That particular plane was a 'no,' we weren't going to buy it. Then all of a sudden, they said 'yes,'' a DHS official said. Officials also planned out how the plane could be 'retrofitted' for deportations, as well as for personal travel for Noem, according to the report. No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.