Oklahoma Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.), President Trump’s “MAGA Warrior” pick to replace Kristi Noem as the secretary of Homeland Security, revealed the origin of his unique first name in a single interview over a decade ago.
Mullin, an ex-MMA fighter and father of six, was announced as Trump’s nominee after the president gave Noem the boot in the wake of her disastrous Congressional hearing.
The Tulsa native’s one-of-a-kind, two-of-a-name moniker is surprisingly exactly what it seems — two first names combined, after his two uncles.
In a 2014 interview with Roll Call, Mullin divulged the heartwarming history behind his namesakes.
“My father was the youngest boy of eight children, and he had two brothers who did not have any sons. And since I was the youngest of seven in my family, I was named after both of them: Mark and Wayne,” Mullin explained.
Mullin was repaid tenfold as his beloved uncles showered him with extra gifts on his birthday. He praised the pair for finding ways to make him “feel special” in such a large family.
While Mullin’s last name is more stereotypically Irish, he hails from the Cherokee Nation.
He is notably the second-ever citizen from the Cherokee Nation to serve in the US Senate. The first was Robert Latham Owen, also from Oklahoma.
Before making his way into politics in 2012, Mullin had a brief stint in the MMA scene, where he was undefeated in all five matches he fought, and ran his family’s plumbing company.
He was elected to the US House of Representatives in 2012 and after about a decade representing Oklahoma’s 2nd Congressional District, he was elected to the Senate in 2022.
Mullin, a close Trump ally, shot up to virality about a year later when he challenged Teamsters President Sean O’Brien to a fight during a Senate hearing after the two had sparred on social media.
Mullin, who adopted three of his six children, is a staunch opponent of abortion in all circumstances — including in cases of rape, incest or when the mother’s life is at risk due to her pregnancy.
The Republican isn’t helming DHS just yet.
Trump wrote in his announcement that Noem will continue in her role through March 31. Mullin’s nomination must also be approved by Congress before he can take over.
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