Kristi Noem's Questionable Behavior Has Staunch Trump Supporters Turning On The VP Contender

Donald Trump is hoping to transform himself once again from a court defendant to a White House resident. The big question now is: Who will be joining him? With Mike Pence out of the picture, there's a long line of Republican contenders who would happily take his place. Among them is South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem — after all, as a woman, she could appeal to voters wanting a counterpart to Vice President Kamala Harris. However, a leaked excerpt from her new book could sink her chances of being tapped.

The Guardian ran a segment from "No Going Back: The Truth on What's Wrong with Politics and How We Move America Forward," scheduled for publication in early May 2024. Noem describes a time she shot a young dog she owned for being "untrainable" and killing a neighbor's chickens instead of hunting pheasant. She then proceeded to kill a "nasty" goat while she was at it. The anecdote was meant to show Noem's willingness to do unpleasant things for the greater good, but even Trump's supporters were appalled.

Fox News' Tomi Lahren slammed Noem on X (previously Twitter): "As a South Dakotan from a ranching family, I am deeply sickened by the dog story in the @KristiNoem book. Please don't ever think that is something that South Dakotans stand for, or that we find normal. Trump needs to stay far from her. She is not VP material!!!" Conservative journalist Megyn Kelly agreed: "Very grateful my Strudwick ended up with us and not with Kristi Noem."

If nothing else, Kristi Noem's dog story has brought together prominent liberal and conservative voices, including panelists from opposing sides of "The View." Joy Behar tweeted a picture of her own pet "marked safe from Kristi Noem," while Alyssa Farah Griffin, former Trump communications director, declared: "There are countless organizations that re-home dogs from owners who are incapable of properly training and caring for them." Former "View" panelist Meghan McCain, no fan of Donald Trump, offered her own take on the situation: "You can recover from a lot of things in politics, change the narrative, etc. — but not from killing a dog. ... Good luck with that VP pick lady ..."

However, one Trump family member has a very different take on Noem's chances of being tapped. Niece Mary Trump, who has said Donald was born to be "an autocrat," tweeted: "Kristi Noem is telling everybody that she murdered a puppy because she wants to be Donald's VP and she thinks the story will appeal to him. She's not wrong." 

The Amazon listing for Noem's book contains a rave review by the ex-POTUS himself: "Governor Kristi Noem is a tremendous leader, one of the best. This book, it's a winner. It exposes the problems we're facing and lays out a fantastic plan to make America great again. You've got to read it!" Will he change his mind in light of the controversy, or will he prove his niece right?