South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem greets former U.S. President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump before speaking at a South Dakota Republican Party rally in Rapid City, South Dakota, USA on September 8, 2023.
Jonathan Ernst | Reuters
South Dakota Republican Gov. Kristi Noem on Sunday tried to portray a controversial anecdote about killing her puppy, revealed in her upcoming memoir, as an argument for her political savvy in her bid to become Donald Trump’s vice presidential pick.
A Friday report in the Guardian detailed excerpts from her memoir about her decision to kill various of her family’s farm animals, including a 14-month-old puppy named Cricket and an unnamed goat.
“I can understand why some people are upset about a 20-year-old story about Cricket, one of the working dogs on our ranch,” Noem wrote in an X post on Sunday. “Whether I’m running the ranch or working in politics, I’ve never passed on my responsibilities to anyone else. Even if it is hard and painful. I followed the law and was a responsible parent, dog owner and neighbor.”
Noem has spent the weekend dealing with ridicule from both Democrats and Republicans since those anecdotes became public.
In both cases, she stood by her decision to euthanize the animals, saying Cricket had an “aggressive personality” and the goat was “evil and mean,” according to the Guardian report.
Noem’s defense on Sunday is a final attempt to dispel the flood of doubts created by the situation as she competes for Trump’s nomination for vice president against candidates like North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, Sen. Tim Scott and RS.C. starts. and Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y.
In recent days, people across the political spectrum have taken to social media to comment on the controversy.
Right-wing media personality Laura Loomer said this anecdote was the death knell for Noem’s vice-presidential ambitions.
“She can’t be vice president now,” Loomer said in a post Friday. “You can’t shoot your dog and then become vice president.”
President Joe Biden’s re-election campaign quickly seized the opportunity on Friday to take a subtle dig, releasing pictures of Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris smiling with dogs.
Florida Governor and former Republican presidential candidate Ron DeSantis has issued a call to action for people to adopt rescue dogs.
Noem’s animal killing is not the first time it has caused a stir in Washington.
In March, South Dakota’s governor released an infomercial-style video about a Texas dentist who appeared to be acting as a commercial endorsement for the company despite holding public office.
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2024-04-28 21:58:49
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