South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, once considered a possible running mate for former President Trump in 2024, received a warm reception at a gathering of California Republicans on Saturday, just weeks after facing a harsh public backlash after who admitted to killing his “untrainable” hunting dog.
Noem, a gun rights advocate, warned of the dangers facing the nation and her conservative leadership in the rural state, including her refusal to impose government shutdowns during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We have an election year in 2024 where I no longer believe it is about Republicans and Democrats. I don't think it's about party politics,” Noem told more than 200 people at a luncheon at the California Republican Party convention in Burlingame, just south of San Francisco. “I think it's about people who love America and people who are trying to destroy it.”
He did not directly mention the incident with his dog that he wrote about in his book, “No Going Back: The Truth on What's Wrong With Politics and How We Move America Forward,” which came out this month.
But Noem alluded to controversy over her decision to kill a 14-month-old wirehaired pointer named Cricket in a gravel pit because it was a poor hunting dog and killed some farm chickens.
“Listen, I have a book that's out. You may have heard a little about this,” Noem said with a laugh. “I guarantee you that if you listen to the media, you haven't heard the truth. So I recommend that you read it.”
Luncheon attendees received a copy of the book as part of their ticket purchase; Noem signed copies and posed for selfies after his comments. Tickets ranged from $300 to $575 and the top price included an invitation to a reception with Noem.
Cricket's history was the talk of many convention attendees.
“We found out that Governor Kristi Noem is coming to be the keynote speaker at our convention and everyone is very excited. She is dynamic, attractive and she is probably on the list of candidates for vice president,” said a Contra Costa County delegate, who requested anonymity for fear of possible slight if she spoke publicly about the incident. “And four days later, we discovered the story of the dog murder. And everyone says, 'Uhhh?' And even Trump doesn't like dogs, but even he said, 'he had a rough week.'”
South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem speaks at the California Republican Party Spring Convention on Saturday in Burlingame, California.
(Loren Elliot / For The Times)
He added that the unrest was indicative of the bad luck of California Republicans.
Noem focused her comments on her leadership in South Dakota, particularly during the pandemic, as well as her decision to send the state's National Guard to the U.S.-Mexico border in Texas to stem the influx of immigrants entering the country without authorization. He repeated warnings about drug cartels using Native American tribal lands in his state to commit crimes, comments that have led some tribes to ban Noem from their reservations.
“The cartels have moved to the center of our country. They have settled on my tribal reservations and have proliferated their drug and human trafficking, they are raping our children and our women in South Dakota, and they are doing it protected by the federal government because the federal government refuses. to bring law and order to those communities and keep people safe,” Noem said.
He said he has no jurisdiction since tribal lands are a sovereign government and blamed President Biden for not intervening.
Noem, who had reportedly been on Trump's list of potential running mates but dropped out before the book controversy, also praised the former president as a genuine American, unlike most politicians.
“What did Donald Trump do when he announced he was going to run for president? The guy goes down a golden escalator,” he said. “I was surprised. I thought, 'This is going to be the worst campaign plan I've ever seen in my entire life.'”
After joking that her state has two escalators and that most South Dakotans couldn't relate to an escalator, Noem argued that the moment showed Trump's authenticity.
“The fantastic thing was the fact that it didn't pretend to be something it wasn't,” he said. “He was exactly who he was.”
GOP state delegate Anna Bryson, a former Orange County school board member who attended the luncheon, said she was very impressed by Noem's financial acumen, especially her efforts to reduce taxes.
South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem speaks at the California Republican Party Spring Convention on Saturday in Burlingame, California.
(Loren Elliot / For The Times)
“As a person driven by who is going to make the best economy for everyone, I was very impressed and I really wasn't prepared to be impressed,” Bryson said, recounting her experience being elected to the Capistrano Unified School District in the middle of a budget. deficit of more than 200 million dollars and the need to avoid bankruptcy. “So I have to congratulate her on the sound financial policies that she is implementing.”
She overlooked the dog controversy because Noem is a rancher, as are members of Bryson's family.
“When you talk to the average American whose dogs are really important in their families, like they're members of their family… it's a different world,” he added. “I'm sure he regrets it. Who would not? But since we are all in politics, if you have been elected you have had a moment when we did not say exactly what we wanted to say, right?”
More than 800 delegates, alternates and guests attended the convention at the Hyatt Regency San Francisco Airport in Burlingame. The last time the state Republican Party met in Burlingame was in 2016, when protesters clashed with police outside over an appearance by then-presidential candidate Trump. There were no protests Saturday afternoon in front of the hotel, although several police officers were stationed around the building.
Times staff writer Anabel Sosa contributed to this report.
