When Markwayne Mullin was sworn in as the new Secretary of Homeland Security on March 24, the White House ceremony delivered more than a routine transfer of power. It gave President Donald Trump an audience, and he made full use of it.
According to sources, Mullin’s family was gathered alongside him for the occasion. Trump took a moment to acknowledge each of them before zeroing in on the new cabinet member’s wife, Christie.
“I wanna thank the family because without the family he’s not here,” Trump said. “Especially for mom, she looks like she’s about 22-years-old. I see these kids, but she looks very young,” he added, drawing a visibly flustered reaction from Christie, who placed her hand to her chest in a clear “please stop” gesture.
The moment quickly spread across social media, where reaction was largely critical. “Admiring someone’s work is one thing, but bringing their spouse into it makes it feel unnecessary and out of place. Keep it focused on the job,” one X user wrote.
“Dude is always such a creep,” another commented.
The comment drew comparisons to a previous incident in which Trump made pointed remarks about press secretary Karoline Leavitt’s appearance during a public event, a pattern that many observers find difficult to overlook.
But Trump was not the only one generating headlines that day. On the same occasion that Mullin was officially installed as Kristi Noem’s replacement at the Department of Homeland Security, a resurfaced joint interview featuring both Markwayne and Christie began circulating widely online.
In the clip, Mullin spoke candidly about his professional background in combat sports, which his wife Christie shares, having competed as a kickboxer. He noted that their shared training history had shaped some unconventional household dynamics.
“I competed professionally for a few years and so did my wife. She was a kickboxer. And so when we have arguments, we stay across the room from each other,” Mullin said with a laugh.
Christie did not hold back either. “Our sparring sessions could have been a little bit of domestic violence,” she said semi-jokingly.
The same interview also featured Mullin recounting how he apparently discouraged Christie’s potential romantic interests during their school years by leveraging his imposing presence.
Christie has offered other glimpses into their marriage as well. Just ahead of Valentine’s Day, Mullin shared a video on Instagram of his wife being interviewed, accompanied by an affectionate caption: “The best thing that’s ever happened to me … I’ll never know why she has stuck with me all these years, but I’m forever grateful.”
In the clip, Christie was asked to share advice for young women. She answered: “Put the Lord first. Above marriage, above kids, above anything… then everything else will be great and perfect,” she said, before adding with a laugh, “And there’s issues, don’t get me wrong.”
