Kristi Noem, the Governor of South Dakota, is making headlines. She has been unapologetic about her moves on her home base of the family farm, and her recent portrayal on the animated series South Park provoked a firestorm. The pushback comes as political commentators speculate that she might run for the Republican vice-presidential nomination this coming November.
In her recently released book, Noem recounted shooting an unruly, uncastrated goat on her family farm—a decision she described as necessary. In one story, she told people about having to shoot her own dog. These admissions have been met with deserved outcry, including over 80% of Americans who oppose this move in a recent poll.
In the face of widespread backlash, Noem has defended her actions as simply reflecting the “tough decisions” they want politicians to make. If they actually wanted to tell me how to do my job go ahead and do that. They obviously have no capacity for it. They should be ashamed, she continued. Rather, they choose to really sweat the small stuff.
Things came to a head when the satirical animated series South Park aired an episode lampooning Noem. In the episode, she gets a bad cosmetic job and shoots dogs with a shotgun. The latter comedic portrayal, it seems, has the United States’ Homeland Security Secretary pretty angry. That seat was once held by Noem herself, who was appointed to the position by former President Donald Trump.
Noem dealt with that criticism in a much more personal fashion. She said that she had not watched the South Park episode because she was too busy working, especially poring over budget numbers.
Whether you’re a fan or a critic of Noem, her portrayal has opened up important conversations about gender and politics. She went on to describe her frustrations with the negative image of women in politics. “It’s so lazy to just constantly make fun of women for how they look,” she stated, emphasizing the need for more substantive discussions about political figures.
There have been some big developments in Governor Noem’s political career lately. In July, she won the Trump administration’s OK for a controversial merger with Skydance Media. This merger was included in a billion-dollar settlement deal with Paramount. This move represented a pivotal component of her overall strategy to strengthen South Dakota’s economy while attracting investment to the state.
In addition, Noem was personally introduced by Trump-appointed governor, JD Vance, to the great and powerful during her time as governor. But beyond this, it is still unclear if she was appointed in concert with them. Vance and Trump won that election, cementing Noem as an even more powerful player in Republican Party establishment circles.
As Noem navigates this turbulent period marked by public scrutiny and media satire, she continues to maintain her stance on the decisions she made on her farm. Her campaign story illustrates the challenges women leaders continue to face as they negotiate their often complicated personal stories with the expectations of the public eye.