Kristi Noem

In 2024, South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem wrote in her book, No Going Back: The Truth on What’s Wrong with Politics and How We Move America Forward, that she had shot and killed her 14-month-old dog, Cricket, years earlier. An excerpt was first obtained and published by The Guardian in April 2024, leading to widespread condemnation from across the political spectrum.The book’s account In the memoir, Noem describes Cricket, a wirehaired pointer, as having an “aggressive personality” and being “untrainable”. According to the account, the events that led to the dog’s death included:
  • Ruining a hunt: Cricket, who was intended to be a hunting dog, went “out of her mind with excitement” and spoiled a pheasant hunt.
  • Killing chickens: On the way home from the failed hunt, Cricket attacked and killed a neighbor’s chickens.
  • Biting her: When Noem grabbed the dog’s collar to restrain her, Cricket “whipped around to bite” her.

    Noem writes that she “hated that dog” and that after the chicken incident, she realized she had to “put her down”. Noem took the dog to a gravel pit on her property and shot her. 
 
The aftermath
  • Further incident: On the same day she killed Cricket, Noem also killed a “nasty and mean” goat that she said smelled bad and chased her children.
  • Defense of her actions: Noem has defended her decision, stating that she was following the law regarding dogs that attack livestock and was prioritizing her children’s safety. She also framed the story as an example of her willingness to make “difficult, messy and ugly” decisions.
  • Widespread criticism: The revelation caused a significant backlash, with critics pointing out that rehoming the dog was an option that was not pursued. Some of Noem’s advisors reportedly advised her against including the story in her book, citing potential political damage.
  • Vice presidential prospects: The incident drew concern from Republican circles and was seen by many as damaging to Noem’s standing as a potential vice presidential candidate for Donald Trump. 
"huge crowd" in "war ravaged" Portland.

10-8-2025
Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem is facing down an “army of Antifa” protestors in “war-ravaged” Portland, starting off by disapproving of a person in a chicken suit.

In a video posted Tuesday by MAGA influencer Benny Johnson, Noem, 53, stands atop Portland, Oregon’s ICE facility and surveys a scene of a few protestors scattered about the street.

wow…maybe a dozen protesters…traffic in the back ground seems to be moving pretty well for a war zone…this is complete nonsense…a million plus $$$ a day….our country is an international joke!..all within 9 months

What is cosplaying ICE Barbie in Portland for? Shouldn’t she be in Washington running the DHS? How does she have the time for all this cosplaying? Whose running the department while she’s galivanting all over the US, looking for photo ops?

Abortion

Noem co-sponsored legislation that would federally ban abortion.[34] In 2015, she co-sponsored a bill to amend the 14th Amendment to define human life and personhood as beginning at fertilization, federally banning abortion from the moment of fertilization. She also voted for a bill to ban abortion after 20 weeks of pregnancy.[35]

Energy and environment

Noem denies the scientific consensus on climate change. In 2022 she said she believes “the science has been varied on it, and it hasn’t been proven to me that what we’re doing is affecting the climate.”[36]

Health care

Noem opposes the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) and has voted to repeal it.[52][53] Having unsuccessfully sought to repeal it, she sought to defund it while retaining measures such as the Indian Health Care Improvement Act, the provision allowing parents to keep their children on their health insurance plan into their 20s, and the high-risk pools.[54] Noem wanted to add such provisions to federal law as limits on medical malpractice lawsuits and allowing patients to buy health insurance plans from other states.[54] She supported cuts to Medicaid funding proposed by Republican Budget Committee chairman Paul Ryan. A study found that this action would reduce benefits for South Dakota Medicaid recipients by 55 percent.[39]

Immigrants and refugees

Noem supported President Donald Trump‘s 2017 Executive Order 13769, that suspended the U.S. refugee program for 120 days and banned all travel to the U.S. by nationals of seven Muslim-majority countries for 90 days.[55] She said she supported a temporary ban on accepting refugees from “terrorist-held” areas. She cited the Environmental Protection Agency, the Department of Veterans Affairs, Medicaid, high-speed rail projects, cap-and-trade technical assistance, and subsidies for the Washington Metro rapid transit system as examples of federal programs where she would like to see cuts.

 

1. Ethical and Character Concerns

  • Dog shooting controversy: Her admission in her memoir that she shot her family’s dog and a goat sparked nationwide outrage, with critics calling it evidence of poor judgment and lack of empathy.

  • Promotion of the incident: Rather than apologizing, Noem defended the action and used it to portray herself as “tough,” which many saw as tone-deaf and politically manipulative.

2. Abuse of Power Allegations

  • Nepotism accusations: She faced an ethics probe after intervening in a state agency decision to help her daughter obtain a real estate appraiser’s license.

  • State plane misuse: Reports surfaced that she may have used a taxpayer-funded state airplane for personal or political trips — which is under investigation by a South Dakota ethics board.

3. COVID-19 Handling

  • Refusal to enact safety measures: Noem famously resisted mask mandates, lockdowns, or restrictions during the height of the pandemic.

  • Public health outcomes: Critics say this contributed to a disproportionately high death rate in South Dakota compared to states of similar size and demographics.

4. Polarizing Leadership Style

  • Culture-war politics: She focuses heavily on divisive national issues — such as transgender sports bans and anti-immigration rhetoric — rather than bread-and-butter state issues like healthcare, infrastructure, or education.

  • National ambitions: Critics argue she prioritizes her political image and national profile (e.g., courting a Trump VP role) over the needs of South Dakota residents.

5. Policy Concerns

  • Economic and agricultural priorities: Some local farmers and small-business owners say her policies favor big agribusiness and political donors rather than small family operations.

  • Environmental neglect: Her administration has rolled back certain conservation and environmental protections in favor of industry expansion.

Kristi Noem was way behind in getting the FEMA search and recue teams to Texas:
Deployment Timeline
July 4: Devastating flash floods hit central Texas
July 6: Two days later: A major disaster declaration was signed by President Trump
July 7: FEMA began deploying Urban Search and Rescue task forces from five states—but dense federal bureaucratic requirements, including new funding approval rules, delayed their active engagement.
July 8 (Tuesday evening): FEMA’s US&R teams finally arrived in Kerr County and operationalized Wednesday morning, July 9.

Five days of a missing FEMA where they were needed immediately.