Inside Kristi Noem’s many controversies - from dog killing to Kim Jong Un ‘meeting’
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South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem, who is said to be Donald Trump's choice for the next Homeland Security secretary, has been involved in a number of controversies. These include an incident where she shot her own dog and a controversial assertion about having met with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
The Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency falls under the jurisdiction of the Department of Homeland Security, positioning this department as a key player in Trump's initiatives to remove millions of undocumented immigrants from the United States.
Noem was chosen as governor in 2018 and successfully secured her re-election in 2022.
Here’s a summary of her disputes and strange incidents:
She was considered a leading candidate to be Trump’s vice-presidential pick until parts of her book, No Going Back, were released. In it, she described the difficult decision to shoot her 14-month-old dog, Cricket, claiming that the dog was “untrainable.”
The selected passages were released by The Guardian in April of this year. She explained that she made the choice to "put down" the dog after it attacked a family’s chickens and then turned to bite her.
Noem expressed her understanding that she needed to put the dog to sleep, admitting that she had strong negative feelings towards it.
Former Republican House Speaker and presidential hopeful Newt Gingrich informed Politico that "killing the dog and then discussing it eliminated any chance of her being selected" as Trump's vice-presidential candidate.
After receiving significant backlash, Noem spoke on Fox News, stating that as a mother worried about her children's safety, she felt it was necessary to put Cricket down.
"As a mother, I had to make a difficult decision. It was about protecting my kids from a dangerous dog that was harming livestock and attacking people," she explained.
"Claiming To Have Encountered Kim Jong Un"
The media obtained an early draft of No Going Back that stated Noem had a meeting with Kim Jong Un.
"I recall my meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. I have no doubt he didn't take me seriously, unaware of my background in handling difficult situations with strong personalities (I used to be a children's pastor, after all)," she noted in a piece for The New York Times. "Engaging with international leaders requires a strong mindset, thorough preparation, and unwavering commitment."
Following the scrutiny of the account, a representative for Noem stated that the story should not have been part of the report and that steps would be taken to remove it prior to publication, as reported by Newsweek.
In May, CBS asked Noem if she had ever had a meeting with the North Korean leader known for his authoritarian regime.
"I won't discuss my individual encounters with global leaders; that's just not something I'm going to share," she stated at that moment. "This story shouldn't have been included in the book, and as soon as I learned about it, I took steps to have it removed."
In her book, she mentioned that she was scheduled to meet with French President Emmanuel Macron. However, she decided not to proceed with the meeting after he made a statement to the press that she perceived as strongly supportive of Hamas and negative towards Israel.
During her visit to Paris in November of last year for the Worldwide Freedom Initiative conference, Noem's assertion that she was scheduled to meet with Macron was denied by the Élysée Palace.
Dancing With Trump At A Town Hall In PA
Noem organized a town hall meeting with Trump in Oaks, Pennsylvania, on October 14. Yet, shortly after she started posing easy questions to the former president, Trump reached his limit.
About half an hour into the event, a health crisis in the audience disrupted the program. Shortly afterward, another medical emergency occurred.
Rather than refocusing on the situation, Trump instructed his team to put on his campaign playlist and started dancing to the tunes. Once the second medical incident was handled, he asked for some air conditioning in the venue. Noem tried to lighten the mood with a joke about inflation, remarking, “They probably can’t afford it, sir.”
There were five questions raised at the moment when Trump concluded that he had reached his limit.
"How about we skip the questions and just enjoy some music?" he suggested. "Let's turn it into a music experience—who really wants to deal with more questions anyway?"
For nearly 40 minutes, Trump moved about on stage while Noem tried to keep up, clearly unsure of how to navigate the strange situation.
Banned From Tribal Lands Over Cartel Allegations
This year, Noem was prohibited from entering the territories of all nine Native American tribes in South Dakota after alleging that some of those tribes had been compromised by drug cartels, as reported by Newsweek.
In January, at a joint meeting of the state legislature, Noem stated, “Let it be clear that the cartels are active in multiple tribal reservations throughout South Dakota... They have managed to enlist tribal members in their illegal operations.”
"We have some tribal leaders who I think are gaining personally from the presence of the cartels, which is why they target me on a daily basis," she mentioned in March.
Frank Star Comes Out, the President of the Oglala Sioux Tribe, shared with the Associated Press that "our community is being exploited for her political advantage."
In May, Noem said to CNN, "My intention is to honestly address the genuine issues that certain parts of Indian Country are dealing with."
