South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem made a resounding declaration of support for former President Donald Trump at the Monumental Leaders Rally in Rapid City, South Dakota. With the crowd eagerly awaiting her endorsement, Noem praised Trump as the “fighter that our country needs,” evoking Teddy Roosevelt’s famous “Citizenship in a Republic” speech.
BREAKING: South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem has endorsed Donald Trump for President in 2024.
— ALX 🇺🇸 (@alx) September 9, 2023
In her own words, Noem proclaimed, “It is my honor to present to you the man in the arena. He is a man of significance. He is the leader, the fighter that our country needs. He has my full and complete endorsement for president of the United States of America. I will do everything I can to help him win and save this country.”
The event had been surrounded by speculation about Noem’s potential role as a running mate for the 45th president should he secure the nomination. Noem acknowledged the curiosity, stating that people from all over the nation had reached out with inquiries about the evening’s proceedings.
She went on to explain that the rally was conceived by South Dakota GOP Chairman John Wiik as a means to unite Republicans around shared values and principles. Voicing her support for the idea, the governor highlighted how various GOP candidates running for president had been invited.
“We started discussing inviting all the candidates running to be President of the United States. Tim Scott was asked… and he declined. Vivek Ramaswamy was invited, and he turned the chairman down. Other candidates were asked, and all told us they had better things to do. But when President Trump was invited to come be with you tonight, he said, “I’ll be there!” she revealed.
Noem emphasized Trump’s unique appeal, stating, “That’s why people love President Trump. He doesn’t listen to consultants, or the media, or the political elite to tell him who is important and what his priorities should be. To him, every American is worth fighting for. No one is better than anyone else. No one deserves to be treated differently than anyone else.”
“And he will never forget about us, the little people in the little states that are the backbone of this country. He shows up for every American and fights for us every day,” she continued.
Turning her attention to critical issues facing the nation, Noem pointed out the U.S. Southern border crisis and Trump’s proactive approach to addressing illegal immigration during his presidency. She commended his stance on “peace through strength” and established the GOP frontrunner as the “only person in the race that I trust to do what needs to be done on these issues.”
Through her speech, Noem shied away from confirming or denying whether she would be running alongside the presidential candidate should he score the party’s nomination.
In response, Trump expressed his gratitude to Governor Noem, referring to her as “one of the most successful governors in the entire nation.”
“I get endorsements, some don’t mean anything. Hers means a lot,” he added, as Noem’s endorsement is seen as a significant boost in his candidacy given her solid backing in the Republican Party.
