The Trump administration has not considered a reality show where immigrants compete for citizenship, despite statements of opposition by departmental spokespersons, according to the Homeland Security Director.
Homeland Security Secretary Christie Noem told the Senate Committee on May 20 that she and her leadership team “have no knowledge” of the reality show.
“There may have been some that were submitted somewhere along the line because there were proposals proposed to the department, but me and my management had no knowledge of the reality show,” Noem told the Senate’s Committee on Homeland Security and Government Affairs.
“We have no plans to do a reality show at all,” she added.
On May 16th, Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin wondered whether there was a conversation about the idea.
“This is completely wrong. The Daily Mail ‘report’ is a humiliation to journalism. Secretary Gnome is not “supporting” nor is he aware of the pitch of a scripted or real-life show,” McLaughlin said in a statement emailed to USA Today.
However, McLaughlin told the Wall Street Journal that the department is considering collaborating on television. The pitch reportedly came from the people who created the “duck dynasty.”
Daily Mail cited Trump’s appointee and assistant DHS secretary McLaughlin in support of the project.
“I think that’s a good idea,” McLaughlin cited as saying.
Noem told the senators that reports on such collaborations were “inaccurate and false.”
Josh Meyer contributed.
