Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has proven to be many things since she took on the job—tough, unafraid, and determined to help ensure her boss Donald Trump’s vision. I’m not sure anyone had talked about her talents as a painter, however.

But there she was Tuesday, painting the border wall like a pro. She’s covering it in a very specific color – or non-color, technically—at the request of the president. Trump wants to paint it black:

🚨 LMAO! Democrats are currently losing their minds over President Trump and Kristi Noem painting the southern border wall BLACK to let it get super hot from the sun.

It’s being done so the criminals would burn their hands to the touch if they even tried.

Genius move. 🔥🤣 pic.twitter.com/U0zGOuW6lm

— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) August 19, 2025

Why black? Well if you’ve ever worn a black shirt on a scorching day, or sat in a black car in the baking sun, you might know the answer:

Speaking in front of a portion of the southern border wall in Santa Teresa, New Mexico, Noem explained that the wall would be painted entirely black for the dual purposes of making it heat up more and thus harder to climb, as well as increasing the lifespan of the metal.

Noem said the new paintwork comes at the request of President Donald Trump.

Although the wall is already tall, she explained, painting it in this manner will make it even more difficult to pass:

“If you look at the structure that’s behind me, it’s tall, which makes it very, very difficult to climb, almost impossible. It also goes deep into the ground, which would make it very difficult, if not impossible, to dig under. And today we are also going to be painting it black,” said Noem.

Watch:

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.” pic.twitter.com/rZZZhZ3SVx

— ABC News (@ABC) August 19, 2025