PoliticsKristi Noem Mercilessly Mocked Over Embarrassing Typo as Fired 'ICE Barbie' Edits Post After Backlash From Critics
Kristi Noem was trolled online after misspelling the country of Colombia.
Sept. 28 2026, Published 12:21 p.m. ET
Former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem was widely mocked online after misspelling Colombia as "Columbia" in a social media post.
The typo appeared in an Instagram post in which Noem, serving as a special envoy for the Shield of the Americas security initiative, announced a meeting with Colombian Ambassador Maria Consuelo Araujo Castro to celebrate the country's official entry into the regional coalition.
In the caption, Noem expressed a desire to bring "prosperity and opportunity" to the people of the country but used the spelling "Columbia" instead, editing it to the correct spelling after brutal backlash.
Noem met with Ambassador Araujo Castro and posted about their discussion on anti-narcotrafficking and U.S. partnerships but repeatedly misspelled the country's name.
Kristi Noem was slammed for spelling Colombia incorrectly in an official diplomatic capacity.
The mistake drew swift online criticism, especially because it happened in an official diplomatic capacity.
Misspelling the South American nation as "Columbia" (confusing it with the U.S. district, river, or university) is a frequent point of frustration for citizens of the country. It often triggers the viral social media campaign and hashtag #itscolombianotcolumbia, which aims to publicly correct public figures, brands, and celebrities who make the error.
Critics pointed to a previous Newsmax interview in June, where Noem was trolled for naming Central American nations El Salvador and Costa Rica as the United States' "best friends" specifically in South America.
Donald Trump fired Kristi Noem as his secretary of Homeland Security in March.
“Go back to school,” quipped one critic, while another posted a popular GIF of President Donald Trump uttering his infamous line, “I love the poorly educated.”
"It's ColOmbia, you absolute tool. Please buy a map or hire an intern who graduated middle school,” said another.
"First she thinks Central America is in South America, now she can't even spell the country she's visiting. How is someone this shockingly clueless in charge of international security?" wondered another.
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Kristi Neom Was Fired as Homeland Security Secretary
Kristi Noem now reports to Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau and works alongside Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
In March, Trump axed Noem from her high-profile role as Secretary of Homeland Security. Her exit followed substantial scrutiny over immigration enforcement tactics, federal shootings, and a controversial $220 million agency advertising campaign.
To keep her in the administration, Trump immediately appointed Noem, nicknamed by critics as "ICE Barbie," as the U.S. Special Envoy for the Shield of the Americas, transitioning her from domestic security to international diplomacy.
She serves as the chief diplomat, directly coordinating relations, agreements, and strategy with the participating foreign governments. She reports to Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau and works alongside Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
'She is the Special Envoy to a region she literally cannot spell,' one critic snubbed.
During the United Nations General Assembly week, Noem and U.S. diplomats successfully coordinated with 14 Latin American nations to designate 24 cartels and drug-trafficking groups as foreign terrorist organizations.
Not everyone was impressed by her involvement.
"She is the Special Envoy to a region she literally cannot spell. Trump hired the absolute 'best' people, didn't he?" quipped another online critic.
