Trump Weighs in on Kristi Noem’s Book Controversy: ‘She Had Rough Couple of Days’

Former President Donald Trump stated on May 7 that South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem (R) has endured “a rough couple of days.”

The interview, which took place before the former president’s appearance in a New York courtroom in his hush money trial, included questions about who he would pick as his running mate for the 2024 presidential election.

The outlet asked President Trump about the rumored possible vice presidential pick because of the questioning she has received regarding anecdotes in her new book, which included an account of her dog’s death several years ago.

President Trump said that he likes Ms. Noem “a lot” and that she was “supportive of me from the beginning,” but he declined to elaborate further on the Republican governor.

“I don’t want to comment on anybody on the list,” Trump said. “But she had a rough couple of days, I will say that.”

Throughout the past week, Ms. Noem has faced criticism as she travels promoting her upcoming book, “No Going Back.”

In the book, she narrated an incident from approximately two decades ago in which she put down her dog Cricket, a German wire-haired pointer who was 14 months old at the time, because of continued behavioral issues.

Ms. Noem defended the decision to kill the farm dog after online criticism from rival politicians.

In excerpts from her newest book, which The Guardian published, she referred to the animal as a “dangerous dog.”

Democratic governors teased her with photos of their pets on social media.

“I can understand why some people are upset about a 20-year-old story of Cricket, one of the working dogs at our ranch, in my upcoming book—No Going Back,” Mr. Noem wrote on May 5 on the social platform X.

“The book is filled with many honest stories of my life, good and bad days, challenges, painful decisions, and lessons learned.”

The dog ruined a hunt and attacked a family’s poultry, according to Ms. Noem. The dog, she claimed, acted like a “trained assassin” and posed a threat to everybody it came into contact with.

“I realized I had to put her down,” she wrote.

According to Ms. Noem, she also killed a male goat that was “nasty and mean,” had a harsh odor and enjoyed chasing after her children.

The governor stood by her decision, stating it demonstrated her willingness to learn from her mistakes and face difficult issues head-on.

“The fact is, South Dakota law states that dogs who attack and kill livestock can be put down,” she wrote.

“Given that Cricket had shown aggressive behavior toward people by biting them, I decided what I did.”

“Whether running the ranch or in politics, I have never passed on my responsibilities to anyone else to handle. Even if it’s hard and painful.

“I followed the law and was being a responsible parent, dog owner, and neighbor,” Ms. Noem said.

The review of the book shared a story about an alleged meeting between Ms. Noem and North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un that did not occur. However, the governor later retracted that story.

Ms. Noem said in her May 5 interview on “Face the Nation,” that she had asked that section be removed from the final draft of her book after her office was called to account about the details.

“This is an anecdote that I asked to have removed because I think it’s appropriate at this point,” Ms. Noem said.

The Democratic National Committee used the passages, describing them as “horrifying” and “disturbing,” to try to use the shooting of the animals as a wedge issue in the 2024 election.

Efthymis Oraiopoulos contributed to this report.