Markwayne Mullin’s greatest arguments and clashes in Congress
This piece provides a roundup of Markwayne Mullin’s most notable clashes and confrontations in Congress and public life, highlighting a series of high-profile exchanges and standoffs.
– It centers on Mullin, a Republican senator from Oklahoma, and his contentious moments, including his nomination by Donald Trump to be the next Homeland Security secretary and his background as a former professional wrestler and MMA fighter.
– Notable clashes include: Mullin’s friction wiht Bernie Sanders during December 2025 and February 2026 Senate hearings (including comments about the Give Kids A Chance Act and a Grinch comparison), and a tense exchange with CNN’s Kaitlan Collins in 2025 over Iran strikes and polling numbers.
– The article also covers mullin’s public altercations with labor leader Sean O’Brien,the Teamsters president,beginning in November 2023 with an offer to fight,followed by a reported reconciliation in February 2025.
– Other episodes described are Mullin’s Afghanistan rescue effort in August 2021 (attempting a helicopter mission to aid a family, allegedly threatening embassy staff after being denied), and his 2018 verbal flare-up with attorney Michael Avenatti.
– Additional context includes Mullin’s involvement in discussions around U.S. foreign policy and healthcare, as well as related stories and videos embedded in the piece, and mentions of Kristi Noem’s DHS-related role and Mullin’s publicized disputes with various figures.
Roundup of Markwayne Mullin’s greatest arguments and clashes in Congress
Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) is familiar with public conflicts in Congress, as he faces another one over his confirmation as the next Homeland Security secretary.
President Donald Trump tapped Mullin, a former professional wrestler who trained as an MMA fighter, to become the next DHS secretary on Thursday, replacing Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem on March 31. Mullin, taking on the position of DHS secretary, has roughly three years of service in the Senate and 10 years in the House of Representatives.
Here are some of his most historic clashes.
Sanders showdowns, December 2025 and February 2026
Mullin also came to blows with Sanders last month during a Senate hearing with Dr. Casey Means, Trump’s nominee for surgeon general.
He spoke about the need for affordable healthcare before saying, “I ranted too long,” to which Sanders interjected, “Yes, you did!”
“I’m sorry, I didn’t ask your opinion on that, and if I cared about your opinion, I would ask you, but I don’t care about your opinion,” Mullin said.
“You’re part of the system. You’re part of the problem. You’ve been sitting here longer than I’ve even been alive! This is your problem. You should have fixed this a long time ago. You’ve been railing on it so long. What have you been doing?”
Mullin took a shot at Sanders while delivering a speech on the Give Kids A Chance Act in December 2025. He compared Sanders to the Grinch from Dr. Seuss’s Christmas story, and said he hopes to God that “every single family” going through cancer treatment “will hold the Senator for Vermont accountable.”
Interviews with CNN’s Kaitlan Collins, March and June 2025
Mullin also engaged in a testy interview with CNN’s Kaitlan Collins in June 2025. He debated Collins on the U.S. strikes on Iran’s nuclear sites, saying, “Don’t put words in my mouth.”
Earlier in March, Mullin dismissed CNN’s reported approval rating for President Donald Trump, saying it is still “higher than it ever was” for former President Joe Biden.
“There‘s a new CNN poll today out that says Americans are not that impressed with how [Trump has] handled it so far — it‘s 56% majority of the public disapproves,” CNN anchor Kaitlan Collins said Wednesday on her show The Source. “That’s a higher disapproval than it ever was during his first term in office.”
“It‘s still higher than it ever was with Biden, though,” Mullin retorted.
“Well, but you’re already judging him just on Biden‘s numbers?” Collins asked.
“No, I‘m just saying that if you‘re going to use numbers, you‘re using his high number in his first four years, we had inflation at 1.4%,” Mullin said. “But he‘s got to recover from four years of Biden. Keep in mind, we were in a recession under Biden, but no one talked about it.”
CONGRESS SPLIT ON TRUMP’S IRAN STRIKES
Biden left office with an all-time low approval rating, disappointing supporters by dropping out of the 2024 race too late and pardoning his son, Hunter Biden. A Gallup poll from the start of this year found that 48% of all likely voters reported Biden would be remembered as one of America’s “worst” presidents. Only 12% thought that Biden had done an “outstanding” or “above average” job as president.
Teamsters challenge, November 2023
Mullin has come to verbal blows with several people during his time in the Senate, most notably when he offered to physically fight Teamsters President Sean O’Brien in November 2023. Mullin read O’Brien’s statement on X, in which he called Mullin a “clown” and “fraud” and ended with, “You know where to find me. Anyplace, Anytime, cowboy.”
Mullin asked O’Brien, “You want to do it right now?”
The Teamsters president said, “I’d love to do it right now.”
Mullin began to stand up and appeared to remove his wedding ring before Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) interfered and said, “Sit down! You’re a United States senator!”
Mullin and O’Brien buried the hatchet in February 2025.
Afghanistan rescue effort, August 2021
Mullin tried to hire a helicopter to enter Afghanistan in 2021 and rescue a woman and her four children amid the Biden administration’s withdrawal from the country.
He sought U.S. Ambassador to Tajikistan John Mark Pommersheim’s help, but when Mullin was denied in his effort to bypass Tajikistan’s legal cash limits, he allegedly threatened Pommersheim and other embassy staff, according to a report.
Avenatti altercation, October 2018
Mullin, then a U.S. representative, said he would be “happy to meet” attorney Michael Avenatti “on the mat,” after Avenatti suggested he go against Donald Trump Jr. in a mixed martial arts fight.
Avenatti later responded to an NBC reporter who tweeted the proposition and said, “This would be for two great causes. I’m in.”
NOEM ERUPTS AFTER DEMOCRATS PUSH FOR ANSWER ON ALLEGED AFFAIR WITH COREY LEWANDOWSKI
Noem has been widely criticized for her leadership at DHS, though Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) came to her aid last month, despite previously calling for her removal from the position. He also said Thursday he intends to vote for Mullin as the next DHS secretary.
Noem will serve as “the Special Envoy for the Shield of the Americas,” a position she thanked Trump for on X. She added that she looks forward to working with Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Secretary of War Pete Hegseth to “dismantle cartels” in this position.
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