Markwayne Mullin has been confirmed as the new Department of Homeland Security Secretary. His confirmation has brought an old video back into public attention, in which he talks about his approach to disciplining his children. The video is from an October 2023 meeting.
According to HuffPost, Mullin, a father of six and former MMA fighter, spoke at a meeting with City Elders, a group he described as working to get “Godly people” elected to local positions. He talked about how he was raised “by the fear of a belt” and said he “deserved” the physical punishment he received from his father. He said this taught him “respect.”
He made it clear he still uses physical discipline with his own children, saying, “I do spank. I have no problem with that.” The remark drew applause from the audience, even though child psychologists routinely argue against physical punishment.
Mullin’s detailed accounts of spanking his children paint a striking picture of his parenting style
He described his daughters as “truly loving,” saying, “You can’t imagine how loving they are,” and adding, “I can spank them and I’m still upset and they’ll come and crawl on my lap two minutes later and just hug on me.” In other viral moments making rounds online, a woman who realized she made a terrible mistake at a restaurant also caught widespread attention recently.
He also recalled a specific moment with one of his daughters, describing her pleading, “No, Daddy. No, Daddy. No, Daddy! No! I’m sorry, Daddy, I’m sorry, Dad.” He said she “couldn’t bring herself to even bend over” for the punishment, so he told her, “Hun, you got like two seconds or you going to get two instead of one.” He said she would be “mad for like a day” afterward.
He said disciplining his son was different, describing the boy as being “so hard on himself because he would just have this huge crocodile tear running down his eyes.” Mullin also recalled threatening his daughter’s boyfriend, whom he described as a “good kid.”
He told the young man, “If I ever see you kiss her in front of me, I’m dragging your face across the asphalt.” He confirmed the story was true, saying, “I told him that.” In another story that went viral for the wrong reasons, a man who scammed a restaurant using a fake bill was publicly shamed online after getting away.
These remarks have resurfaced as Mullin steps into his new role, replacing Kristi Noem. His Senate confirmation hearing also had notable moments, including Senator Rand Paul pressing him on past comments he had made against him, and a separate confrontation with Teamsters President Sean O’Brien during a 2023 hearing.
Published: Mar 24, 2026 12:27 pm