President Trump praised DHS Secretary Kristi Noem on Friday for her work on the southern border wall, noting she and other officials painted it black to make climbing harder.
He said he had asked Noem two weeks earlier to “do him a favor” by giving the wall a coat of paint. Trump said he suggested painting the wall black to make it too hot to climb, protect it from rust, and improve its look, praising Noem for carrying it out “along with 30 other things” on the border.
Noem replied, “It is beautiful, and it’s hot,” later posting a video of herself and border patrol officers painting the wall.
“Our borders and country will remain secure. To the men and women hard at work finishing the wall, you are saving American lives and protecting our way of life. Thank you,” she wrote:
The wall is being completed. Our borders and country will remain secure.
To the men and women hard at work finishing the wall, you are saving American lives and protecting our way of life. Thank you. pic.twitter.com/XeMSdoFkTV
— Secretary Kristi Noem (@Sec_Noem) August 22, 2025
At a press conference at the wall in Santa Teresa, N.M., Noem said, “A nation without borders is no nation at all.”
She noted the wall’s height and underground foundation make it hard to breach, and added that Trump specifically requested it be painted black so the sun’s heat would make climbing even more difficult.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said the entire southern border wall will be painted black, so it will get hot in the sun and “make it even harder for people to climb.”
“That is specifically at the request of the president.” https://t.co/fDAt90dmk6 pic.twitter.com/rZZZhZ3SVx
— ABC News (@ABC) August 19, 2025
