In 2024, South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem isn’t ruling out running for president—if former President Donald Trump doesn’t enter the race, that is.
“I anticipate him taking off. On this week’s edition of “The Takeout,” Noem said to top Washington reporter Major Garrett, “And if President Trump runs, I’ll support him.”
Noem has supported the former president for a long time and is thought of as a possible choice for vice president should Trump win the Republican nomination for a third time.
But she objects to Trump’s boisterous and sometimes dishonest style of campaigning, which mainly relies on disparaging personal remarks about supposed rivals.
“This about him I can’t change. That is one of the things about him that I don’t like, as I’ve said several times,” Noem continued, complimenting him on how he handled the COVID outbreak.
Noem distinguished South Dakota from the great majority of states while also standing in line with certain Republican governors by refusing to enact mask regulations, social segregation laws, or vaccination requirements in her state.
Greg Abbott of Texas and Ron DeSantis of Florida went one step further and forbade private enterprises from implementing vaccination mandates.
They are two of the most well-known Republican governors in the country. Noem said that while she disagreed with vaccination laws, she would not allow the government to become more intrusive in the activities of private companies.
Noem said, “I believe in personal freedom, and I have no regrets about how I handled the infection. With regard to COVID fatalities per capita, South Dakota is in the center of the pack.
Despite admitting to have had a COVID vaccination, Noem described them as “extremely untested”. Nearly 72% of Americans have received their whole COVID-19 vaccination at this time, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The White House COVID response team never stops urging people to be vaccinated since it is the best defense against serious illness, hospitalization, and even death.
Many of the outcomes aren’t necessarily final, and we need to keep looking at how our research and recommendations will affect people in the long run, according to Noem.
Noem claimed to have seen “very little” of the committee proceedings on January 6. I don’t watch such hearings for very long.
She referred to the assault on the Capitol as a “horrific day” but would not say if President Trump was at fault. “I believe that there are elements of that day that each of us can utilize to reflect on who we are. Additionally, I am aware that President Trump has.”
Noem attacked the composition of the 7 Democratic and 2 Republican House committees looking into the unrest. Noem said, “I think that they would want to be honest there,” in response to the question of whether high-profile witnesses like former White House Counsel Pat Ciopollone and former White House assistant Cassidy Hutchinson are speaking the truth.