Tricia McLaughlin Biography: Age, DHS Career, Immigration Controversy & February 2026 Resignation

Tricia McLaughlin is an American political communications strategist who served as Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) during the second Trump administration. At just 31 years old, she became one of the most visible and controversial figures in the administration’s aggressive immigration enforcement efforts, earning both praise as a fierce defender of border security and criticism for allegedly misleading statements about fatal encounters involving immigration officers. Her resignation in February 2026 came amid escalating scrutiny over her department’s communications tactics and a $220 million self-dealing scandal involving her husband’s advertising firm.

Quick Facts

Early Life & Education

Tricia McLaughlin grew up in the Cincinnati suburb of Montgomery, Ohio, and graduated from Sycamore High School in 2012 . The school is regarded as one of Ohio’s strongest public schools according to the Columbia Journalism Review .

Her interest in politics developed during her high school years in the Blue Ash area . She has cited her grandfather, Powell McHenry, director of the Republican Club of Hamilton County, as an influence on her political development .

McLaughlin attended the University of Maryland, College Park, where she studied political science and government . She was an active member of Kappa Alpha Theta sorority, serving as the chapter’s Digital Media Director from November 2013 to November 2014 . According to her publicly posted résumé, she boosted traffic to the sorority’s Facebook page by 60 percent during her tenure . She also served as a War Room and Media Tracking intern and worked with campus judicial affairs on hazing and alcohol mediation .

She graduated from the University of Maryland in 2016 with her bachelor’s degree . In 2021, she returned to Ohio after working in Washington .

Career Journey

Early Political Career (2016–2024)

After graduating from college, McLaughlin began her career as the spokesperson for the Ohio Republican Party . She built a foundation in political communications, working on multiple campaigns and developing expertise in media relations.

During the first Trump administration, McLaughlin served in the State Department as chief of staff of the Bureau of International Security and Nonproliferation, focused on negotiating country-first nuclear arms control deals . She also served at the U.S. Treasury Department as Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary focused on economic sanctions under then-Secretary Steven Mnuchin .

After Trump left office in 2021, McLaughlin returned to Ohio and led communications for the 2022 reelection campaign of Ohio Governor Mike DeWine . She then joined Vivek Ramaswamy’s 2024 presidential campaign as Senior Advisor and Director of Communications . It was during this campaign that she met Benjamin Yoho, a political consultant who would later become her husband .

She also worked as a Political Contributor for ABC News, appearing as a Republican pundit .

DHS Appointment and Second Trump Administration (2025–2026)

In January 2025, McLaughlin was appointed as Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs at the Department of Homeland Security, making her one of the top officials in President Trump’s second administration . At 31 years old, she became the principal advisor to Homeland Security Secretary kristi noem on all external and internal communications, overseeing the department’s media, digital, strategic, and crisis communications efforts .

McLaughlin quickly became the face and voice of the administration’s aggressive immigration enforcement policies . She started every day with a 7 a.m. phone call with Secretary Noem and other top officials to discuss the day’s news and strategy .

In a December 2025 interview with the Cincinnati Enquirer, McLaughlin described her communications approach: “Is it often aggressive? Yes, but I think it’s also incredibly effective” . She characterized her role as service and sacrifice, stating: “I was in the first Trump administration and that was a really fun job… This feels like service. This is sacrifice. And that’s part of what I signed up for” .

Controversial Statements and Incidents

McLaughlin became known for making forceful statements defending immigration enforcement actions, sometimes before incidents were fully investigated:

Renée Good Shooting (January 2026):
Following the fatal shooting of Renée Good by immigration enforcement officers in Minneapolis, McLaughlin wrote on social media: “Dangerous criminals — whether they be illegal aliens or U.S. citizens — are turning their vehicles into weapons to attack ICE” . The statement was made before the incident was fully investigated.

alex pretti Shooting (January 2026):
After the killing of Alex Pretti by CBP officers, also in Minneapolis, McLaughlin told news outlets that Pretti “violently resisted” immigration officers and appeared to be “an individual wanted to do maximum damage and massacre law enforcement” . On January 27, 2026, Fox News host Dana Perino pressed McLaughlin on her labeling of Pretti as a “domestic terrorist,” but McLaughlin did not directly answer the question .

Death Threats:
On January 13, 2026, twin brothers Ricardo Antonio and Emilio Roman-Flores from Absecon, New Jersey, were arrested for threatening to shoot ICE officers “on sight” and to hang McLaughlin .

Seamus Culleton Case (February 2026):
McLaughlin generated international attention when she stated that Irishman Seamus Culleton, detained by ICE for five months despite having no criminal record and being married to a U.S. citizen, had “chosen to stay in ICE custody” . She wrote: “Being in detention is a choice. We encourage all illegal aliens to use the CBP Home app to take control of their departure” .

Resignation (February 2026)

On February 17, 2026, McLaughlin announced her resignation from DHS, effective the following week . Her departure had been planned since December 2025, but she delayed it following the fatal shootings of Renée Good and Alex Pretti in Minneapolis .

Secretary Kristi Noem praised McLaughlin on X (formerly Twitter), saying she “has played an instrumental role in advancing our mission to secure the homeland and keep Americans safe” and “served with exceptional dedication, tenacity, and professionalism” .

McLaughlin stated: “I am immensely proud of the team we built and the historic accomplishments achieved by this Administration and the Department of Homeland Security” . Lauren Bis, a deputy in the DHS public affairs division, was promoted to replace McLaughlin, and conservative commentator Katie Zacharia joined the communications team as deputy assistant secretary .

Personal Life

Marriage to Benjamin Yoho

McLaughlin met Benjamin Yoho, a political consultant and CEO of the Strategy Group, while they were both working on Vivek Ramaswamy’s 2024 presidential campaign . The couple married in 2025 .

Yoho, 38 years old as of 2025, has been a national player in political advertising since his early twenties, when he first served as campaign manager for a U.S. congressman while still in college . His firm has received tens of millions in payments from Republican congressional candidates and has had a particularly lucrative relationship with Kristi Noem, dating back to her 2022 South Dakota gubernatorial reelection campaign .

Controversies

$220 Million Self-Dealing Scandal

The most significant controversy surrounding McLaughlin involves allegations of self-dealing related to DHS advertising contracts. In November 2025, a ProPublica investigation revealed that the Strategy Group—run by her husband Ben Yoho as CEO—had received over $200 million as part of a DHS advertising campaign .

Key Allegations:

• Federal Communications Commission documents named “Traci McLaughlin, Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs” as the decision maker for $220 million in government contracts for the anti-immigration ad campaign
• The Strategy Group played a central role in producing ads featuring Secretary Noem, including one filmed at Mount Rushmore in October 2025
• Photos on the official DHS Flickr account show top officials from Yoho’s company together with Noem at the Mount Rushmore shoot
• The DHS Office of Public Affairs, run by McLaughlin, was listed as the office funding the ad contracts

McLaughlin’s Response:
McLaughlin claimed she had recused herself from the contracts . In an interview, she stated: “I don’t know who they’re a subcontractor with, but I don’t work with them because I have a conflict of interest and I fully recused myself… My marriage is one thing and work is another. I don’t combine them” .

Official Investigations:
The alleged financial self-dealing was specifically cited in House impeachment proceedings against Secretary Noem as one of three articles supporting her impeachment . Government contracting experts called the arrangement “corrupt” and worthy of investigation by the DHS inspector general and House Oversight Committee .

Charles Tiefer, a leading authority on federal contract law and former member of the Commission on Wartime Contracting in Iraq and Afghanistan, stated: “Hiding your friends as subcontractors is like playing hide the salami with the taxpayer” .

Criticism of Communications Tactics

McLaughlin faced widespread criticism for her aggressive communications style:

• Misleading Statements: Multiple news organizations reported that DHS under McLaughlin regularly issued statements supporting federal officers’ actions that were later contradicted by video footage or court testimony
• Lack of Transparency: While DHS claimed to be “the most transparent administration in American history,” critics noted that public announcements often left out that charges against arrestees had been reduced or dropped
• Premature Statements: McLaughlin was criticized for making definitive statements about incidents before investigations were complete, particularly regarding the fatal shootings in Minneapolis

Pulitzer Prize-winning immigration reporter Molly O’Toole told the Columbia Journalism Review that under McLaughlin, DHS is “blatantly lying to the American public” in part by “barraging X users with details of operations or ongoing investigations that they claim support their version of events” while “abandoning those claims” in court .

Physical Statistics

Quotes

“Is it often aggressive? Yes, but I think it’s also incredibly effective.” — On her communications approach, December 2025

“I was in the first Trump administration and that was a really fun job… This feels like service. This is sacrifice. And that’s part of what I signed up for.” — On her role at DHS

“Media is so much of the battle, so to speak, on the immigration issue… So much of the debate is a [public relations] debate. It’s a PR war.” — On immigration communications strategy

“My marriage is one thing and work is another. I don’t combine them.” — On allegations of self-dealing involving her husband’s firm

“I am immensely proud of the team we built and the historic accomplishments achieved by this Administration and the Department of Homeland Security.” — Resignation statement, February 2026

“Being in detention is a choice. We encourage all illegal aliens to use the CBP Home app to take control of their departure.” — On the Seamus Culleton case

Favorites

• Political Causes: Immigration enforcement, border security, Republican Party initiatives
• Professional Style: Aggressive communications, rapid response, social media engagement
• Work Routine: Daily 7 a.m. strategy calls with DHS leadership
• Media Strategy: Proactive press releases, “transparent” disclosure of enforcement actions

Earnings & Net Worth

Tricia McLaughlin’s exact salary and net worth are not publicly disclosed. However, as Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs at DHS, she would have earned a federal executive salary, likely in the range of $150,000–$200,000 annually.

The $220 million advertising contract scandal involving her husband’s firm has raised questions about potential financial benefits to her family, though no direct evidence of personal enrichment has been proven .

Interesting Facts

• McLaughlin was only 31 years old when she became one of the top officials in the Trump administration
• She received death threats from twin brothers in New Jersey who were arrested in January 2026
• She was named in official FCC documents as the decision maker for $220 million in DHS advertising contracts
• Her husband Ben Yoho has worked with Kristi Noem since her 2022 South Dakota gubernatorial campaign
• She delayed her resignation from DHS following the fatal shootings of two U.S. citizens in Minneapolis
• She appeared regularly on Fox News and other television networks defending the administration’s immigration policies

Did You Know?

• McLaughlin’s tenure at DHS saw the department’s ad budget triple in the most recent fiscal year
• She is listed as a notable member of Kappa Alpha Theta sorority on Wikipedia
• She was awarded a Fulbright Scholarship to represent the U.S. as a cultural ambassador in the Czech Republic
• Her grandfather Powell McHenry was director of the Republican Club of Hamilton County, Ohio
• She was described by The Washington Post as having “built a reputation as a fierce defender of the administration’s handling of immigration”

Social Media Links

• Former DHS Profile: dhs.gov/person/tricia-mclaughlin (archived)
• LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/tricia-mclaughlin-a00abb4b

Frequently Asked Questions

Who is Tricia McLaughlin?
Tricia McLaughlin is a 31-year-old American political communications strategist who served as Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs at the Department of Homeland Security from January 2025 to February 2026. She became known as the face of the Trump administration’s aggressive immigration enforcement policies .

Why did Tricia McLaughlin resign from DHS?
McLaughlin resigned from DHS in February 2026, stating her departure had been planned since December 2025 but was delayed following the fatal shootings of Renée Good and Alex Pretti in Minneapolis. She said she was “immensely proud” of her team’s work .

What is the controversy involving Tricia McLaughlin and her husband?
McLaughlin’s husband, Benjamin Yoho, is CEO of the Strategy Group, an advertising firm that received over $200 million as part of a DHS advertising campaign. FCC documents named McLaughlin as the decision maker for $220 million in contracts, raising allegations of self-dealing. She claimed she recused herself from the contracts .

What controversial statements did Tricia McLaughlin make?
McLaughlin made several controversial statements defending immigration enforcement actions, including calling those killed by ICE “dangerous criminals” and stating that an Irishman detained for five months “chose to stay in ICE custody.” She was also criticized for labeling shooting victims as “domestic terrorists” before investigations were complete .

How old is Tricia McLaughlin?
Tricia McLaughlin is approximately 31 years old as of 2026. She graduated from high school in 2012 and from college in 2016 .

Where is Tricia McLaughlin from?
McLaughlin is from the Cincinnati, Ohio area, specifically the suburb of Montgomery/Blue Ash. She attended Sycamore High School .

Conclusion

Tricia McLaughlin’s rapid rise from Ohio Republican Party spokesperson to one of the most visible figures in the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement efforts demonstrates both her communications acumen and the controversial nature of her approach. At just 31 years old, she became the face of policies that generated international attention, death threats, and widespread criticism.

Her resignation in February 2026 came amid declining public support for the administration’s immigration crackdown and mounting scrutiny over the $220 million advertising contract scandal involving her husband’s firm. Whether viewed as a dedicated public servant sacrificing for her country or as a propagandist for controversial policies, McLaughlin’s tenure at DHS marked a new era of aggressive, social media-driven government communications.

As she departs government service, the investigations into the advertising contracts and her role in them may continue to follow her. Her story illustrates the intense pressures and ethical challenges facing young political operatives in the highest levels of government, particularly when personal and professional relationships intersect with billions in taxpayer dollars.

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