She may become Donald Trump’s running mate, but Kristi Noem is already attracting a lot of criticism. In an interview, she suggested that current President Joe Biden’s dog should be put down. She probably means it, because Noem herself shot and killed her “worthless” dog years ago.
Kristi Noem (52) is governor of the American state of South Dakota and is at the top of all lists for Donald Trump running mate to be during the presidential elections. If he were to win, she might become the next US Vice President. But the woman is certainly not without reproach. Lately she has been receiving a lot of criticism about a passage in her book, which will be published this week.
In No going back: The truth on what’s wrong with politics and how we move America forward Noem writes that she was frustrated by her dog Cricket’s behavior. The animal is said to have had “an aggressive character”, caused a pheasant hunt to fail and had killed the neighbors’ chickens. According to the politician, the dog was “untrainable” and “worthless”. In the book, Noem describes how she shot the dog on her farm. “That task was not pleasant, but it was necessary,” she writes. “It had to be done.”
(Read more below photo)
Kristi Noem and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump. — © REUTERS
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The criticism of that passage, where the British newspaper The Guardian was the first to report about it. Noem himself did not understand the fuss. “We love animals, but you have to make such difficult decisions all the time on a farm.”
24 biting incidents
Now that her book is published this week, the politician is focusing on another pet. That of current President Joe Biden. In an interview with CBS, Noem suggested that Biden’s dog Commander should be put down.
Commander was removed from the White House in October 2023 after there were 24 biting incidents in less than a year, according to the federal security service. Medical care was required in half of the cases. “Biden’s dog attacked 24 Secret Service people,” Noem said in the interview. “How many people have to be attacked and injured before you make a decision about a dog?”
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“A dog that bites is dangerous and unpredictable,” she continued. “Are you listening, Joe Biden?” The White House has not yet responded to the statements.
Noem was not without mention before. For example, she refused to wear a face mask in the middle of a pandemic, she supported controversial anti-abortion legislation and she has nothing good to say about the LGBTQIA+ community. She is also an outspoken gun fanatic.
Commander, Joe Biden’s dog. — © Sipa USA
