--- title: Donald Trump Considers Rick Perry for Homeland Security Head description: The Trump administration is considering Rick Perry as one possible replacement for John Kelly at the Department of Homeland Security canonical: https://time.com/4884262/rick-perry-john-kelly-department-homeland-security/ author: TIME article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2017-08-02T16:05:27.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-10-08T09:26:51.811Z article:section: Politics og:title: Trump Is Considering Rick Perry for Homeland Security Chief og:description: As former DHS head John Kelly takes over as chief of staff og:url: https://time.com/4884262/rick-perry-john-kelly-department-homeland-security/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blted0757e663f159fd/6988d8267cdbaca5ccd5976d/rick-perry-dhs.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 3000 og:image:height: 1688 og:image:alt: Energy Secretary Rick Perry Addresses Media At White House Press Briefing og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Trump Is Considering Rick Perry for Homeland Security Chief twitter:description: As former DHS head John Kelly takes over as chief of staff twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blted0757e663f159fd/6988d8267cdbaca5ccd5976d/rick-perry-dhs.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # President Trump Is Considering Rick Perry for Homeland Security Chief > Sponsored content. 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It explains the politics, personalities and power dynamics behind the headlines, twice a week. #### Where can I get analysis of Washington politics by email? D.C. Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/newsletters?i=155828ed-4063-4a29-bf5d-0e7c57fecc12&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1) ## Video: Rick Perry Says He Regrets His Statement About Abolishing the Energy Department [Watch (HLS stream): Rick Perry Says He Regrets His Statement About Abolishing the Energy Department](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/7njZMzId.m3u8) (0:48)  _Published 2017-01-19. He now says he will be a passionate advocate for the department's core missions_ by [Bloomberg](https://time.com/author/bloomberg/) ## Bloomberg Contributor Aug 2, 2017 4:05 PM UTC by [Bloomberg](https://time.com/author/bloomberg/) ## Bloomberg Contributor Aug 2, 2017 4:05 PM UTC The Trump administration is considering Energy Secretary Rick Perry as one possible replacement for John Kelly at the Department of Homeland Security, according to three people familiar with the deliberations. Kelly became White House chief of staff on Monday, and President Donald Trump has not made a decision about who should succeed him as Homeland Security secretary. White House officials are considering others for the position in addition to Perry, the people said. They asked not to be identified discussing a personnel matter. “Secretary Perry is focused on the important mission of the Department of Energy. He’s honored to be mentioned, but he loves what he’s doing,” said Robert Haus, director of public affairs at the department. Kelly, 67, is a retired Marine Corps general whose brief tenure at Homeland Security was marked by moves to strengthen immigration enforcement. Kelly also was supportive of the president’s high-profile promise to build a wall on the U.S.-Mexico border. Deputy DHS Secretary Elaine Duke has been serving as the acting leader of that department since Kelly moved to the White House. Perry is familiar with border issues from his nearly 15 years as governor of Texas, but his views on immigration do not align precisely with Trump’s. Perry’s 2012 presidential campaign foundered after he accused his Republican opponents of not having a “heart” about immigrants. Texas has a large Latino population, and Perry helped advance legislation that let undocumented children of immigrants pay in-state tuition for college. But Perry also has supported reinforcing the U.S.-Mexico border, calling for the construction of traditional fencing where feasible and electronic barriers otherwise, supplemented by aerial monitoring. Representative Michael McCaul, a Texas Republican, was previously considered for the Homeland Security job before Trump nominated Kelly and he’s favored as Kelly’s replacement by some administration officials. ## Transcript My desire is to lead this agency in a thoughtful manner, surrounding myself with the expertise on the core functions of the department. My past statements made over five years ago about abolishing the Department of Energy do not reflect my current thinking. In fact, after being briefed on so many of the vital functions of Department of Energy, I regret recommending its elimination. I believe the climate is changing. I believe some of it is naturally occurring, but some of it is caused by manmade activity. The question is how we address it in a thoughtful way. 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