Kristi Lynn Arnold Noem[1] (/noʊm/ NOHM;[2] née Arnold; born November 30, 1971) is an American politician serving as the eighth United States secretary of homeland security since 2025 under President Donald Trump in his second term.
Kristi Noem | |
|---|---|
 Official portrait, 2023 | |
| 8th United States Secretary of Homeland Security | |
| Assumed office January 25, 2025 | |
| President | Donald Trump |
| Deputy | MaryAnn Tierney (acting) Troy Edgar (nominee) |
| Preceded by | Alejandro Mayorkas |
| 33rd Governor of South Dakota | |
| In office January 5, 2019 – January 25, 2025 | |
| Lieutenant | Larry Rhoden |
| Preceded by | Dennis Daugaard |
| Succeeded by | Larry Rhoden |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from South Dakota's at-large district | |
| In office January 3, 2011 – January 3, 2019 | |
| Preceded by | Stephanie Herseth Sandlin |
| Succeeded by | Dusty Johnson |
| Member of the South Dakota House of Representatives from the 6th district | |
| In office January 9, 2007 – January 3, 2011 | |
| Preceded by | Art Fryslie |
| Succeeded by | Burt Tulson |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Kristi Lynn Arnold November 30, 1971 Watertown, South Dakota, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse |
Bryon Noem (m. 1992) |
| Children | 3 |
| Education | South Dakota State University (BA) |
| Signature |  |
Noem served as the 33rd governor of South Dakota from 2019 to 2025, resigning after being confirmed as Secretary of Homeland Security.[3] A member of the Republican Party, she was the U.S. representative for South Dakota's at-large congressional district from 2011 to 2019 and a member of the South Dakota House of Representatives for the 6th district from 2007 to 2011.
Noem became the first female governor of South Dakota when she was elected in 2018. During that election, President Trump endorsed her. As governor, Noem emphasized health freedom, rising to national prominence during the COVID-19 pandemic over her refusal to issue a statewide mandate to wear face masks, instead advocating for voluntary measures. South Dakota saw a drastic increase in COVID cases after the 2020 Sturgis Motorcycle Rally,[4] in which Noem participated.[5]
Noem is also a farmer and a rancher. She published her first autobiography, Not My First Rodeo: Lessons from the Heartland, in 2022. Her second, No Going Back (2024), ignited controversy over her description of killing a young family dog. Her political views align with the Republican Party and conservatives on most issues, including support for the right to carry guns.
Early life and education
Noem was born Kristi Lynn Arnold to Ron and Corinne Arnold on November 30, 1971, in Watertown, South Dakota,[6] and raised with her siblings on the family ranch and farm in rural Hamlin County.[7] She has Norwegian ancestry.[8] In 1990, Noem graduated from Hamlin High School and was crowned South Dakota Snow Queen.[9] Her father was killed in a farm machinery accident in 1994.[7][10]
Noem attended Northern State University from 1990 to 1994, but did not graduate. Her daughter, Kassidy, was born on April 21, 1994. Noem left college early to run the family farm. She added a hunting lodge and restaurant to the family property. Her siblings also moved back to help expand the businesses.[7]
Noem subsequently took classes at the Watertown campus of Mount Marty College and at South Dakota State University, and online classes from the University of South Dakota.[7][9][11] She obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree with a major in political science from South Dakota State University in 2012[12] while serving as a U.S. Representative.[13] The Washington Post dubbed her Capitol Hill's "most powerful intern" for receiving college intern credits from her position as a member of Congress.[14]
South Dakota House of Representatives (2007–2011)
In 2006, Noem won a seat as a Republican in the South Dakota House of Representatives, representing the 6th district, comprising parts of Beadle, Clark, Codington, Hamlin, and Kingsbury counties. In 2006, she won with 39% of the vote.[15] In 2008, she was reelected with 41% of the vote.[16]
Noem served for four years, from 2007 to 2010. She was an assistant majority leader during her second term.[17][18] During her tenure, Noem was the prime sponsor of 11 bills that became law, including several property tax reforms and two bills to increase gun rights in South Dakota.[19][20][21] In 2009, she served as vice chair of the Agriculture Land Assessment Advisory Task Force. Senator Larry Rhoden chaired the task force, and later served as her lieutenant governor.[22] During her tenure, she joined the Civil Air Patrol as a "state legislative member".[23]
U.S. House of Representatives (2011–2019)
Elections
2010
In 2010, Noem ran for South Dakota's at-large seat in the U.S. House of Representatives.[24] She won the Republican primary with a plurality of 42 percent of the vote against South Dakota Secretary of State Chris Nelson and State Representative Blake Curd.[25] Her primary opponents endorsed her in the general election.[17]
Noem's opponent, incumbent Democratic U.S. Congresswoman Stephanie Herseth Sandlin, emphasized her own record of independence from the Democratic caucus, including her votes against health care reform, the Wall Street bailouts, and the cap-and-trade energy bill. In response, Noem repeatedly highlighted Herseth Sandlin's vote for Nancy Pelosi as Speaker of the House. During the 2010 election cycle, Noem outraised Herseth Sandlin, $2.3 million to $2.1 million.[26][27] Noem defeated Herseth Sandlin, 48 to 46 percent.[28]
2012
Noem was reelected to a second term, defeating Democrat Matthew Varilek, 57–43 percent.[29]
2014
Noem was reelected to a third term, defeating Democrat Corinna Robinson, 67–33 percent.[30]
2016
Noem was reelected to a fourth term, defeating Democrat Paula Hawks, 64–36 percent.[31]
Tenure
The 2011 House Republican 87-member freshman class elected Noem as liaison to the House Republican leadership, making her the second woman member of the House GOP leadership.[32] According to The Hill, her role was to push the leadership to make significant cuts to federal government spending and to help Speaker John Boehner manage the expectations of the freshman class.[33] In March 2011, Republican Representative Pete Sessions of Texas named Noem one of the 12 regional directors for the National Republican Congressional Committee during the 2012 election campaign.[7][34]
On March 8, 2011, she announced the formation of a leadership political action committee, KRISTI PAC.[35] Former South Dakota Lieutenant Governor Steve Kirby is its treasurer.[36][37][38] Noem was among the top freshman Republicans in PAC fundraising in the first quarter of 2011, raising $169,000 from PACs.[39]
Abortion
Noem co-sponsored legislation that would federally ban abortion.[40] 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.[41]
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."[42]
Noem has said that the U.S. needs an "all-of-the-above energy approach" that includes renewables like wind and ethanol while still realizing the need for a "balanced energy mix" that ends American dependence on foreign oil.[43][44][45][46]
Noem supported the Keystone XL Pipeline[47] and supports offshore oil drilling.[48] She co-sponsored three bills that she argued would reduce American dependence on foreign oil by ending the 2010 United States deepwater drilling moratorium in the Gulf of Mexico and reopening sales on oil leases in the Gulf and off the coast of Virginia.[49] In 2011, she sponsored a measure to block Environmental Protection Agency funding for tighter air pollution standards for coarse particulates.[50]
Noem opposed a bill introduced by South Dakota Senator Tim Johnson that would designate over 48,000 acres (190 km2) of the Buffalo Gap National Grassland as protected wilderness.[51] She supports the current designation of the land as a national grassland.[52] She said the land is already managed as roadless areas similar to wilderness[53] and argued that changing the land's designation to wilderness would further limit leaseholder access to the land and imperil grazing rights.[52][53]
Foreign affairs
From 2013 to 2015, Noem served on the House Armed Services Committee, where she worked on the 2014 National Defense Authorization Act.[54] Her appointment to the committee was seen as a benefit to South Dakota's Ellsworth Air Force Base.[55] In March 2011, Noem was critical of President Barack Obama's approach to the NATO-led military intervention in the 2011 Libyan civil war, calling on him to provide more information about the U.S.'s role in the conflict, and characterizing his statements as vague and ambiguous.[56][57]
Health care
Noem opposes the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) and has voted to repeal it.[58][59] 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.[60] 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.[60] 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.[45]
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.[61] She said she supported a temporary ban on accepting refugees from "terrorist-held" areas,[62] but "did not address whether she supports other aspects of the order, which led to the detention of legal U.S. residents such as green-card holders, and people with dual citizenship as they reentered the country" in the aftermath of the order's issuance.[61]
In 2019, Noem consented to South Dakota's participation in the U.S. Refugee Resettlement Program following a Trump executive order that allowed state and local governments to opt out.[63]
In-vitro fertilization and embryonic stem-cell research
In August 2010, while running for Congress, Noem responded to a questionnaire from the Christian Coalition voter guide indicating that she would vote to ban embryonic stem-cell research.[41] In 2015, she co-sponsored legislation to amend the 14th Amendment to define human life and personhood as beginning at the moment of fertilization, without exceptions for in-vitro fertilization or embryonic stem-cell research.[41]
Taxes
In 2017, Noem was on the conference committee that negotiated the passage of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, which she touted as giving the average South Dakota family a $1,200 tax cut.[64][65]
In 2018, Noem was reported to have "pitched the idea to members of the conservative House Freedom Caucus" to attach her online sales tax bill to the government funding package as part of an omnibus. A court case under consideration in the South Dakota Supreme Court involved requiring "certain out-of-state retailers to collect its sales taxes." Noem said that South Dakota businesses (and by extension businesses nationwide) "could be forced to comply with 1,000 different tax structures nationwide without the tools necessary to do so", adding that her legislation "provides a necessary fix."[66]
Noem has called the budget deficit one of the most important issues facing Congress. She cosponsored H. J. Res. 2, which would require that total spending for any fiscal year not exceed total receipts.[67][68] 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.[45][67][69][70]
In 2011, Noem indicated that she would vote to raise the federal debt ceiling, but only if "tied to budget reforms that change the way we spend our dollars and how Washington, D.C., does business. It won’t just be a one-time spending cut."[71] She ultimately voted for S. 365, The Budget Control Act of 2011, which allowed Obama to raise the debt ceiling in exchange for spending cuts to be decided by a bipartisan committee.[72] She also said she wanted to eliminate the estate tax,[73] lower the corporate tax rate, and simplify the tax code.[7] She said she would not raise taxes to balance the budget.[74]
Committee assignments
Caucus memberships
- Republican Study Committee[75]
- Congressional Cement Caucus
- Congressional Arts Caucus[76]
- Afterschool Caucuses[77]
- Congressional Western Caucus[78]
Governor of South Dakota (2019–2025)
Elections
2018
On November 14, 2016, Noem announced that she would run for governor of South Dakota in 2018 rather than seek reelection to Congress.[79] She defeated South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley in the June 5 Republican primary, 56 to 44 percent,[80][81] and Democratic nominee Billie Sutton in the general election, 51.0 to 47.6 percent.[82]
2022
On November 12, 2021, Noem announced that she was running for reelection as governor.[83] Five days later, State Representative Steven Haugaard, a Republican, announced that he was running for governor against Noem.[84] On February 1, 2022, House Democratic Minority Leader Jamie Smith announced he was seeking the Democratic nomination for governor.[85]
In the Republican primary in June, Noem defeated Haugaard, 76.4% to 23.6%. In the general election, she defeated Smith, 62% to 35%. Despite predictions of a competitive race, Noem flipped 17 counties that had previously voted Democratic and set a record for the most votes received by a candidate for governor in South Dakota.
Tenure
Noem was sworn in as governor of South Dakota on January 5, 2019, the first woman in that office in the state.[86]
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Abortion
Noem is anti-abortion.[87] She has been lauded by the anti-abortion group Susan B. Anthony List[88] and has said she intends to maintain her 100% anti-abortion voting record.[73][89]
In 2019, Noem signed several bills restricting abortion, saying that they would "crack down on abortion providers in South Dakota" and that a "strong and growing body of medical research provides evidence that unborn babies can feel, think, and recognize sounds in the womb. These are people, they must be given the same basic dignities as anyone else."[90]
Following the overturning of Roe v. Wade, South Dakota became one of the first states to enact trigger laws banning abortions.[91] In an interview on CNN's State of the Union, Noem defended South Dakota's abortion ban, which only allows exceptions in cases in which the mother's life is in danger. When asked about the case of the 10-year-old child abuse victim who traveled from Ohio to Indiana in order to receive an abortion, Noem said that she would not support changing the law to allow exceptions for victims of rape, explaining that she does not "believe a tragic situation should be perpetuated by another tragedy."[91]
In January 2024, she proclaimed 2024 the "Freedom for Life Year", promoting anti-abortion laws.[92] On April 21, 2024, Noem announced that she had reversed her support for a federal ban on abortion, saying she believed that abortion law should be determined at the state level, and that she continues to support South Dakota's law banning abortion except to save the life of the pregnant patient, without exceptions for cases of rape or incest.[93]
In 2023, Noem said: "I would nudge every governor to do what they can to back up their pro-life record", then stressed the importance of "taking action" that "truly will save lives".[94] In 2024, she said: "We rely in South Dakota on the fact that I'm pro-life".[95]
Access to public records
While running for governor in 2018, Noem made government transparency a key part of her platform.[96][97] In her first State of the State address she pledged to "work toward building the most transparent administration South Dakota has ever seen".[98][99]
Throughout her tenure, numerous news outlets and government transparency advocates have sued Noem for allegedly failing to provide the transparency she advocated.[100][101] Complaints have revolved around a variety of issues, including the denial of immediate access to a state-funded report about the alleged presence of critical race theory and so-called "divisive concepts" in South Dakota schools;[102][103][104] the denial of access to pardon records;[100] deciding not to release records of the cost of the governor's security team;[105][106] whipping votes against a bill to make public records of the cost of the governor's security;[105][107] and attempts to seal records relating to an ethics investigation involving her daughter.[108]
Anti-protest legislation
In response to protests against the Keystone Pipeline, Noem's office collaborated with the energy company TransCanada Corporation to develop anti-protest legislation, which Noem signed into law in March 2019. The law created a fund to cover the costs of policing pipeline protests. Another law was passed to raise revenue for the fund by creating civil penalties for advising, directing, or encouraging participation in rioting. The Pine Ridge Indian Reservation banned Noem from their grounds as a result. The Indigenous Environmental Network, Sierra Club, and other groups challenged the laws in suits, arguing that the laws violated First Amendment rights by incentivizing the state to sue protesters.[109] In 2020, after a federal court struck down sections of the legislation as unconstitutional, Noem brought additional legislation to repeal sections of the previous bill and clarify the definition of "incitement to riot".[110]
China
Noem has called China "an enemy" of the United States.[111] In December 2022, she issued an executive order banning TikTok from state-owned devices, saying the "Chinese Communist Party uses information that it gathers on TikTok to manipulate the American people, and they gather data off the devices that access the platform".[112] In May 2023, she signed an executive order prohibiting the downloading or use of any application or visiting of any website owned by the Chinese company Tencent, including apps like WeChat, on state-owned devices.[113] In March 2024, she signed a bill prohibiting the governments of six countries—China, Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Russia, and Venezuela—and entities from those countries from buying agricultural land in South Dakota.[114]
Conflict of interest action to professionally benefit daughter
In July 2020, after Noem's 26-year-old daughter,[115] Kassidy Peters, was denied a real estate appraisal license, Noem summoned to her office Sherry Bren, a state employee who had directed South Dakota's Appraiser Certification Program for 30 years.[116] Additional attendees included Peters, Noem's chief of staff Tony Venhuizen,[117] Department of Labor Attorney Amber Mulder and Labor Secretary Marcia Hultman.[118]
By telephone, the group was joined by the governor's general counsel, Tom Hart, and a lawyer from the state's Department of Labor and Regulation, Graham Oey.[116] A week later, Hultman demanded Bren's resignation. Bren repeatedly, but unsuccessfully, tried to resolve the issues short of resigning, eventually filing an age discrimination complaint.[116] She received a $200,000 settlement as part of a nondisclosure agreement to withdraw her complaint and leave her position.[119]
Noem's spokesperson Ian Fury characterized the allegations as an example of how Noem cuts through "bureaucratic red tape".[116]
After the Associated Press published a story about the incident, the State Senate's Government Operations and Audit Committee was delegated to investigate the situation.[120] In October 2021, the Government Operations and Audit Committee invited Hultman and Bren to come before the committee to discuss the appraisal program in light of the controversy surrounding the program, Noem, Noem's daughter, and a $200,000 payout to Bren for an age discrimination claim.[121][122]
On December 14, 2021, Bren testified before the Government Operations and Audit Committee.[118] She said that Peters received an Agreed Disposition around March/April 2020. Around July 20, 2020, Peters received a letter and/or Findings of Fact and Conclusions of Law when she failed to meet the requirements of the Agreed Disposition. Bren said that on July 26, Department of Labor attorney Amber Mulder told her to be prepared to discuss "what is the definition of a serious deficiency; what criteria do you use for denials; how many are denied each year; how many are approved; are we saying that Kassidy can take certain classes and resubmit".[118]
Bren said she felt "very nervous" and "intimidated" when meeting with Noem and numerous attorneys and Labor Secretary Hultman.[123] Bren mentioned during the meeting at the mansion some appraisal classes that she thought would be helpful to Peters. Bren said that Noem was upset that she was just now hearing about the classes. Bren testified that the decision to depart from recognized upgrade procedures and offer a third opportunity would be Hultman's. Bren said this was beyond the recognized procedures and "not normal."[118]
On November 1, 2021, the Government Accountability Board set an agenda to discuss this issue and another issue based on complaints brought by Ravnsborg.[124] On December 15, 2021, the Government Accountability Board referred one of the two complaints to Noem for a response and sent the other back to the complainant for further information.[125] On February 3, 2022, the Government Accountability Board referred the second complaint to Noem for a response and gave her until April 15, 2022, to answer both pending complaints.[126][127]
On February 24, 2022, Republican State Representative John Mills introduced House Resolution 7004, "Addressing the Governor's unacceptable actions in matters related to the appraiser certification program", against Noem.[128] On March 1, the resolution was debated and failed by a margin of 29 to 38 with three excused, including Noem's primary opponent Steven Haugaard and U.S. House candidate Taffy Howard.[129]
Conflict with Native American tribes
In 2024, it was reported that all nine tribes of South Dakota banned Noem from entering any tribal lands, prohibiting her from entering almost 20% of South Dakota.[130] Other media reported that one of the nine tribes, the Yankton Sioux, had not officially banned Noem.[131] The Oglala Sioux banned Noem in February, followed by the Cheyenne River Sioux, the Standing Rock Sioux, and the Rosebud Sioux in April, and the Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate, the Crow Creek Sioux, and the Flandreau Santee Sioux in May.[131]
The tribes took action after demanding that Noem apologize for her comments about them.[132] In January 2024, Noem claimed that an "invasion is coming over the southern border" of the United States, and the "enemy is the Mexican drug cartels", who are "perpetrating violence in each of our states, even here in South Dakota ... The cartels are using our reservations to facilitate the spread of drugs throughout the Midwest."[133] In March 2024, Noem claimed that there are "some tribal leaders that I believe are personally benefiting from the cartels being there", but gave no evidence, and that there are people "who actually live in those situations, who call me and text me every day and say, 'Please, dear governor, please come help us in Pine Ridge. We are scared.'"[134][135] She added: "they live with 80% to 90% unemployment. Their kids don't have any hope. They don't have parents who show up and help them."[132]
COVID-19 pandemic
During the COVID-19 pandemic in South Dakota, Noem was at first open to containment strategies.[136][137] Over the following months, she segued to a hands-off approach. In November 2020, Noem used pandemic relief funds to promote tourism during a surge in cases in the state.[138] She did not implement face mask mandates, raised doubts about the efficacy of mask-wearing, encouraged large gatherings without social distancing or mask-wearing, and questioned public health experts' advice.[139][140]
As of December 2020, Noem was one of few governors who had not maintained statewide stay-at-home orders or face-mask mandates.[141][142] Her response mirrored Trump's rhetoric and handling of COVID-19.[140][143] She was rewarded for her COVID-19 response with a speech at the August 2020 Republican National Convention, which elevated her national profile.[143][144] The Argus Leader called the RNC speech a "defining moment in her political career".[145]
Early in the pandemic, Noem requested that the legislature pass a bill giving the state health secretary and county officials the power to close businesses and other entities.[136] The House rejected the bill.[137] On March 13, 2020, Noem ordered K-12 schools to close,[146][147] and on April 6, she extended that order for the remainder of the school year.[148][149] Also on April 6, Noem ordered businesses and local governments to practice social distancing and other CDC guidelines.[149][150]
Early on, Noem also emphasized South Dakota's role in evaluating hydroxychloroquine, an antimalarial drug that Trump had touted as a cure for COVID-19.[151] It was never been shown to be useful in treating COVID-19 but can produce fatal cardiac arrhythmia.[152][153]
In early 2020 one of the largest COVID-19 outbreaks in the U.S. occurred in South Dakota.[154] The Smithfield Foods production plant in Sioux Falls had four deaths, with nearly 1,300 workers and their family members testing positive.[155] Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex Azar misinformed a group of legislators that meatpacking plants employees were unlikely to be infected at work, but that their "home and social" habits were spreading the contagion. Noem may have been the first officeholder to publicly express that view.[156]
On April 13, 2020, of an outbreak where hundreds of workers had tested positive at a Smithfield pork plant, she told Fox News, "We believe that 99 percent of what's going on today wasn't happening inside the facility". The industry didn't explain the deaths from COVID-19 of USDA food-safety inspectors from three plants. Almost 200 inspectors contracted symptomatic COVID-19.[156]
In the pandemic's early days, the Food Safety and Inspection Service did not provide protective equipment to its monitors, forbidding them from wearing masks in the slaughterhouses as it feared that might accentuate the risks. On April 9, 2020, the agency said its inspectors would be allowed to wear masks if the meatpacking plants' owners gave the federal employees permission to do so. Inspectors were expected to supply their own masks.[156] A month later, after publication of the risk of spreading the virus, the USDA started giving its inspectors masks.[156] Noem had said that the plant was in full operation as an essential food manufacturing facility.[157] Forty-eight of Smithfield's workers were hospitalized.[158] On April 6, 2020, Noem issued an executive order that said people "shall" follow guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention;[159] she also ordered everyone over age 65 in Minnehaha and Lincoln counties to stay home for three weeks.[160][161]
Noem did not mandate social distancing or the wearing of face masks at a July 3, 2020, event at Mount Rushmore with Trump present. Health experts warned that large gatherings without social distancing or mask-wearing posed a risk to public health.[162] Noem publicly doubted scientific recommendations on the usefulness of masks.[163] In an opinion piece in the Rapid City Journal, she defended her views, citing analysis by the Association of American Physicians and Surgeons, a group known for promoting pseudoscience.[163] The Association of American Physicians and Surgeons had called vaccination the equivalent of "human experimentation."[164]
COVID-19 patients hospitalized in South Dakota on October 22, 2020, reached a record high of 355, including 75 in Intensive Care Units. South Dakota's two largest hospital systems rescheduled elective procedures to increase available space and personnel to accommodate the surge. In the absence of a statewide mask mandate, hospital systems urged people to wear masks while in the company of those outside their own households. Sioux Falls Mayor Paul TenHaken advised his constituents, "Wear a dang mask."[163]
Sixteen weeks after Trump's 2020 executive order that provided enhanced weekly unemployment benefits of $300 as part of the U.S. federal government response to the pandemic, Noem opted out of the program, citing a low state unemployment rate.[165] South Dakota was the only state to refuse the assistance.[166] Its jobless rate in June was 7.2%, up from 3.1% in March, though down from 10.9% in April.[158] Acceptance of the funding required the state to augment the benefit by $100 unless other jobless assistance allowed the match to be waived.[166]
From 2020 to 2021, the following events took place:
- Noem supported the annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally in August 2020, despite warnings from experts that it could spread COVID-19.[167] Nearly 500,000 bikers attended the event.[168] Public health notices were issued for saloons and other businesses in the Sturgis area. By the end of August, dozens of cases linked to attendance at the event were reported in several states.[169][170][171]
- In September 2020, amid a surge of new cases, Noem announced that she would spend $5 million of relief funding on a state tourism campaign.[138] She used $819,000 of those funds to have the state's Department of Tourism run a 30-second Fox News commercial she had narrated during the 2020 Republican National Convention.[172]
- During September 2020, over 550 students became infected at South Dakota universities; 200 more cases were reported in K–12 schools.[158]
- In October 2020, as South Dakota reported the country's second-highest number of new COVID-19 cases per capita and hospitals began to prioritize treatment of severe COVID-19 cases over lesser ones, Noem said the higher case numbers were because of more testing, despite the positive test rate and hospitalization rate also increasing.[173]
- In February 2021, Noem signed a bill limiting civil liability for certain exposures to COVID-19. The bill exempted healthcare providers and other businesses, including those selling personal protective equipment, from lawsuits unless COVID-19 exposure resulted from gross negligence, recklessness, or willful misconduct.[174]
- Also in February 2021, Noem announced her opposition to a bill prohibiting schools and universities from requiring students to get vaccinated.[175] In May, she signed an executive order prohibiting government facilities from requiring proof of vaccination to access services, a policy she called "un-American".[176] In August, Noem opposed legislation proposed by Republican state legislators Jon Hansen and Scott Odenbach that would prohibit businesses from requiring vaccinations as a condition for employment.[177]
- In July 2021, Noem criticized other Republican governors for enacting mandatory measures against COVID-19 and trying to "rewrite history" about it.[178] She argued that South Dakota had effectively combated the pandemic by instead testing and isolating cases. South Dakota had the 10th-highest death rate and third-highest case rate at that time.[178]
Department of Corrections
In July 2021, Noem placed Secretary of the Department of Corrections Mike Liedholt on administrative leave, and fired South Dakota State Penitentiary Warden Darin Young and Deputy Warden Jennifer Dreiske, after receiving an anonymous note with complaints regarding pay, medical coverage and instances of sexual harassment.[179][180] Liedholt later announced his retirement.[181] Later that month, after meeting with prison employees, despite lingering COVID-19 cases, Noem ended the prison's mask mandate.[182]
In August 2021, Noem announced that the CGL Group, a California-based company, was hired for $166,410 to comprehensively review the Department of Corrections operations.[183] At the same time, the director of the prison work program was fired, and two other DOC employees relieved of their duties.
The prison work program director, Stephany Bawek, subsequently filed a complaint with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), alleging that she was retaliated against for reporting sexual harassment by Young.[184] On March 14, 2022, Bawek filed a lawsuit in federal district court alleging that she was fired for reporting incidents of sexual harassment in the workplace.[185][186]
Deployment of South Dakota National Guard to southern border (2021)
In June 2021, Noem announced that she was sending members of the South Dakota National Guard to Texas's border with Mexico.[187] Tennessee billionaire Willis Johnson and his wife Reba said they would donate the money necessary for the deployment.[188] On September 22, 2021, the Center for Public Integrity sued the South Dakota National Guard and the U.S. Department of Defense in the federal district court in the District of Columbia to obtain documents about the deployment and the donation.[189] The 2022 National Defense Authorization Act banned National Guard members from crossing state borders to perform duties paid for by private donors.[190]
Fireworks at Mount Rushmore lawsuit (2021)
In 2021, Noem sued U.S. Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland, seeking to have fireworks at Mount Rushmore for Independence Day. Fireworks displays had been halted at the site in 2009 by the National Park Service due to fire risks and other reasons.[191][192] Noem hired the private Washington D.C. law firm Consovoy McCarthy to bring the case, with South Dakota state taxpayer money paying for the suit.[193] The U.S. District Court dismissed the suit, with Judge Roberto Lange finding that four of the five reasons given by the NPS and Secretary Haaland were valid.[194] On July 13, Noem filed an appeal with the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals.[195]
On March 14, 2022, the National Park Service again denied Noem's application for a permit to have fireworks at Mount Rushmore for the 4th of July, citing opposition from Native American groups and the possibility of wildfires.[196]
Governor's mansion spending
In May 2019, Noem proposed to build a fence around the governor's mansion, estimated to cost approximately $400,000, but retracted the proposal.[197][198] In 2020, the 2019 project was revived; a senior Noem advisor told the media that the decision was based on the recommendations of Noem's security team.[199] In late November 2021, it was reported that Noem spent $68,000 of taxpayer dollars on imported rugs from India, chandeliers and a sauna for the mansion.[200]
Guns
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In 2019, Noem signed a bill into law abolishing South Dakota's permit requirement to carry a concealed handgun.[201][202][203] In 2022, she sought to build a gun range in Meade County with government funds, but the legislature rejected it.[204][205][206]
At a 2023 NRA forum in Indiana, Noem said that her two-year-old granddaughter had a shotgun, a rifle, and a "little pony named Sparkles".[207]
LGBTQ rights
Noem opposes same-sex marriage. In 2015 she said she disagreed with Obergefell v. Hodges, the Supreme Court's ruling that same-sex marriage bans are unconstitutional.[208]
On March 8, 2021, Noem announced on Twitter that she would sign into law H.B. 1217, the Women's Fairness in Sports Bill,[209] which bans transgender athletes from playing on or against women's school and college sports teams. Some critics of the bill said they were worried it might turn away business and cost the state money.[210] On March 19, Noem issued a style and form veto to H.B. 1217 that substantially altered the bill, not just correcting grammar and spelling mistakes.[211] She defended her position on Tucker Carlson Tonight.[212]
On March 29, the South Dakota House rejected Noem's veto, 67–2.[213] The bill was returned to Noem for reconsideration, and she vetoed it again.[214] The House failed to override her veto, by a vote of 45–24. 47 votes were needed to override.[215] Many conservative commentators criticized Noem for vetoing the bill.[216][217]
In December 2021, Noem and her office signaled their support for a bill called "An Act to Protect Fairness in women's sports." The bill would require young athletes to join teams that align with their biological sex at birth.[218]
In 2021, Noem signed a religious refusal bill into law. The legislation amended the state RFRA to allow business owners to cite religious beliefs as a basis to deny products or services to people based on sexual orientation or gender identity.[219] The legislation, S.B. 124, was criticized by civil rights groups who said it would enable discrimination against LGBTQ+ people, women, and members of minority faiths.[220][221] This bill was the first major state RFRA law signed into law in six years, and resembles the 2015 bill signed into law by Indiana Governor Mike Pence.[222]
"Meth. We're on It" campaign
On November 18, 2019, Noem released a meth awareness campaign named "Meth. We're on It". The campaign was widely mocked and Noem was criticized for spending $449,000 of public funds while hiring an out-of-state advertising agency from Minnesota to lead the project.[223] She defended the campaign as successful in raising awareness.[224]
Opposition to cannabis legalization
In 2020, Noem opposed two ballot measures to legalize cannabis for medical use and recreational use in South Dakota,[225] saying, "The fact is, I've never met someone who got smarter from smoking pot. It's not good for our kids. And it's not going to improve our communities."[226] After both measures passed, she and two police officers filed a lawsuit seeking a court decision against the measure legalizing recreational use, Amendment A.[227][228]
On February 8, 2021, circuit court judge Christina Klinger struck down the amendment as unconstitutional.[229] After the ruling, she also sought to delay the implementation of the medical marijuana initiative for a year.[230] Ultimately, her efforts failed and medical marijuana became legal on July 1, 2021.[231]
Noem has opposed the cultivation of industrial hemp, vetoing a bill that passed the South Dakota House and Senate in 2019 to legalize hemp cultivation. She said, "There is no question in my mind that normalizing hemp, like legalizing medical marijuana, is part of a larger strategy to undermine enforcement of the drug laws and make legalized marijuana inevitable."[232]
RV Park in Custer State Park proposal
In 2022, Noem sought to locate a government-paid RV park in Custer State Park.[233] The proposal was met with significant opposition to include government competing with private business and disturbing the pristine nature of the park.[234] The House Agricultural and Natural Resources deferred the bill to the 41st day, effectively killing it, by a vote of 9–3.
School prayer bill
In 2022, Noem sought to have prayer put back in school after mentioning it in a speech in Iowa. On January 21, 2022, the "prayer bill", HB 1015, was defeated in the House Education Committee by a vote of 9–6. An aide to Noem admitted to the committee that no schools were consulted about the proposal.[235][236]
Staff
On November 19, 2021, Noem named her fifth chief of staff, Mark Miller, to replace outgoing chief of staff Aaron Scheibe.[237] Scheibe served as chief of staff from May 1 to November 19, 2021. Tony Venhuizen preceded Scheibe from March 2, 2020, to April 23, 2021. Josh Shields preceded Venhuizen from October 1, 2019, to January 1, 2020. Herb Jones was Noem's first chief of staff, and served from January 5 to October 1, 2019.[238][239][240][241]
Trade
In February 2019, she said that the Trump administration's trade wars with China and the European Union had devastated South Dakota's economy, particularly the agricultural sector, "by far" the state's largest industry.[242]
Secretary of Homeland Security (2025–present)
Nomination and confirmation
On November 12, 2024, President-elect Trump selected Noem to serve as Secretary of Homeland Security in his second term.[243] The Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs held a confirmation hearing for her on January 17, 2025.[244] The committee advanced her nomination in a 13–2 vote on January 20.[245] On January 25, the Senate confirmed Noem by a vote of 59–34.[246]
Tenure
After resigning as governor of South Dakota, Noem was sworn in on January 25, 2025, by Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas as Secretary of Homeland Security, with Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry holding the Bible.[247] She was sworn in by Thomas because Noem was more than 25 minutes late to her swearing-in ceremony at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, where Vice President JD Vance was waiting to preside over the ceremony. After waiting for over half an hour, Vance left the building to maintain his schedule.[248]
In the early morning of January 28, 2025, Noem joined multiple federal law enforcement agencies, including ICE, to lead a raid on illegal immigrants in New York City. Her department posted a video of the raid on X that showed an apparent arrest, later confirming the suspect was in custody on kidnapping, assault, and burglary charges with an outstanding warrant in Colorado.[249]
Following the 2025 Potomac River mid-air collision, Noem deployed "every available US Coast Guard resource for search and rescue efforts" and wrote on X that she was "praying for the victims and first responders."[250][251][252]
Electoral history
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican |  Kristi Noem (Incumbent) |
217,035 | 61.9 | ||
| Democratic | Jamie Smith | 123,148 | 35.1 | ||
| Libertarian | Tracey Quint | 9,983 | 2.8 | ||
| Total votes | 350,166 | 100.0 | |||
| Republican hold | |||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Kristi Noem (incumbent) |
91,661 | 76.4 | |
| Republican | Steven Haugaard | 28,315 | 23.6 | |
| Total votes | 119,976 | 100.0 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Kristi Noem |
172,912 | 51.0 | |
| Democratic | Billie Sutton | 161,454 | 47.6 | |
| Libertarian | Kurt Evans | 4,848 | 1.4 | |
| Total votes | 339,214 | 100.0 | ||
| Republican hold | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Kristi Noem |
57,437 | 56.0 | |
| Republican | Marty Jackley | 45,069 | 44.0 | |
| Total votes | 102,506 | 100.0 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Kristi Noem (Incumbent) |
237,163 | 64.1 | |
| Democratic | Paula Hawks | 132,810 | 35.9 | |
| Total votes | 369,973 | 100.0 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Kristi Noem (Incumbent) |
183,834 | 66.5 | |
| Democratic | Corinna Robinson | 92,485 | 33.5 | |
| Total votes | 276,319 | 100.0 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Kristi Noem (Incumbent) |
207,640 | 57.4 | |
| Democratic | Matt Varilek | 153,789 | 42.6 | |
| Total votes | 361,429 | 100.0 | ||
| Republican hold | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Kristi Noem |
153,703 | 48.1 | |
| Democratic | Stephanie Herseth Sandlin (Incumbent) | 146,589 | 45.9 | |
| Independent | B. Thomas Marking | 19,134 | 6.0 | |
| Total votes | 319,426 | 100.0 | ||
| Republican gain from Democratic | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Kristi Noem |
34,527 | 42.1 | |
| Republican | Chris Nelson | 28,380 | 34.6 | |
| Republican | Blake Curd | 19,134 | 23.3 | |
| Total votes | 82,041 | 100.0 | ||
Presidential politics
2020 presidential election
In 2020 the Trump-Pence ticket carried South Dakota, receiving 261,043 votes to 150,471 for the Biden-Harris ticket.[257][258] Noem was initially designated to be one of Trump's three presidential electors for South Dakota,[259] but later withdrew.
Noem has claimed that the 2020 presidential election, in which Biden defeated Trump, was marred by widespread voter fraud; no evidence supports this claim.[260] On December 8, 2020, Noem tacitly acknowledged the outcome of the election when she referred to a "Biden administration" during her annual state budget address, but even after Biden was inaugurated in January, she still refused to accept that the election was "free and fair".[261][262][263]
After the U.S. Capitol was attacked by a pro-Trump mob on January 6, 2021, disrupting the counting of the electoral votes formalizing Biden's victory, Noem spoke out against the violence, saying: "We are all entitled to peacefully protest. Violence is not a part of that."[264][265] One day after calling for peace and reconciliation in the aftermath of the assault on the Capitol, Noem called the two newly elected Democratic senators from Georgia, Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock, "communists" in an op-ed for The Federalist, prompting criticism from South Dakota Democrats.[266]
2024 presidential election
Noem endorsed Trump in the 2024 Republican Party presidential primaries in September 2023, at a rally hosted for him in Rapid City, South Dakota.[267][268] Trump invited her to appear with him at a March 2024 rally in Vandalia, Ohio.[269][270]
During Trump's 2024 presidential campaign, commentators suggested that Noem was a potential running mate for Trump.[271] In September 2023, when asked on Newsmax if she would agree to serve as Trump's running mate, Noem responded that she would "in a heartbeat".[272] At the February 2024 CPAC conference, Noem tied with Vivek Ramaswamy as attendees' top choice for Trump's running mate, with each receiving 15% of the vote in a straw poll.[273][274] Also that month, Trump acknowledged that Noem was one of the names on his shortlist to be his running mate.[275] In March 2024, CNN reported that Noem was one of four people Trump had shown increased interest in selecting as his running mate.[276]
In April 2024, insiders said that her odds of being selected as Trump's running mate had waned due to her stance on abortion and the revelation in her book No Going Back that she shot and killed her pet dog and a goat.[277][278][279] It was noted that "additions, subtractions and the emergence of dark-horse candidates remain possible", but on June 5, NBC News reported that Noem was no longer on Trump's shortlist of running mates.[280]
Personal life
She married Bryon Noem in 1992, in Watertown, South Dakota.[281] They have three children. In 2011, when Noem moved to Washington to take her congressional office, her family continued to live on a ranch near Castlewood, South Dakota.[281]
Noem is a Protestant.[282] As of 2018, her family attended a Foursquare Church in Watertown, South Dakota.[283] She is a grandmother.[284]
In September 2021, conservative media outlet American Greatness reported that Noem was having an extramarital affair with political operative Corey Lewandowski. Noem called the report a "disgusting lie", saying, "these old, tired attacks on conservative women are based on a falsehood that we can't achieve anything without a man's help."[285][286][287] In September 2023, the New York Post and the Daily Mail published similar reports about Noem and Lewandowski, which Noem's spokesman denied.[288][289]
In March 2024, Noem shared a video in which she identified herself as the South Dakota governor and promoted a cosmetic dentist business that she said helped her after she lost her front teeth in a biking accident years before: "I love my new family at Smile Texas!".[290]
No Going Back
 | This section may contain an excessive amount of intricate detail that may interest only a particular audience. (July 2024) |
In April 2024, pre-release excerpts of Noem's second autobiography, No Going Back, received broad criticism and condemnation.[291] In a chapter titled "Bad Day to Be a Goat",[292][293] Noem recounted that she was entertaining regular guests to her family's hunting lodge, with the guests having their "final morning of hunting" before leaving.[294] Noem brought Cricket, her family's 14-month-old female wirehaired pointer, along for this pheasant hunt, expecting Cricket to emulate the older, trained, dogs on the hunt.[292][295] According to Noem, Cricket "ruined" the hunt by separating from the group and scaring away many birds that were out of range of the hunters; Cricket was "having the time of her life" but Noem was "livid".[294] Noem was a kennel short for the ride home, so she decided to "let Cricket ride loose in the back end of the truck", adding that if Cricket "was dumb enough to jump out, then good riddance ... I didn't care".[294] When Noem then visited a local family, Cricket jumped off the truck, killed several of the family's chickens, then "whipped around to bite" Noem, who "dragged" Cricket to the truck and "threw her inside", while Cricket remained in a state of "pure joy".[294] Noem wrote that she "hated that dog" and concluded that Cricket was "dangerous", "untrainable", and "less than worthless".[292][296] After shooting the dog dead in a gravel pit, Noem decided to kill her family's male goat, which she said was "disgusting, musky, rancid", "nasty and mean", and "loved to chase" Noem's children. She "dragged him" to the gravel pit and killed him with two shots, having to go back to the house to reload after she botched the first attempt.[292][297][298] The Guardian noted that the dog's killing of chickens would constitute a Class 2 misdemeanor offense under South Dakota law.[299]
Noem initially responded that "tough decisions like this happen all the time on a farm", and subsequently said the incident occurred 20 years ago, and that "the fake news ... put the worst spin" on the story, as Cricket was a "working dog" that "came to us from a family who had found her way too aggressive ... a responsible owner does what they need to do".[300][293][301] The story led to bipartisan criticism of Noem and doubt about the likelihood of her selection as Trump's vice presidential running mate intensified.[302][303] A fundraising dinner for Noem in Colorado scheduled for May 4 was canceled after the group and the hotel hosting the event received death threats.[304]
Later in the memoir, Noem wrote of imagining herself becoming president in 2025, taking over from Biden, and that the first thing she would do would be to "make sure Joe Biden's dog was nowhere on the grounds ('Commander, say hello to Cricket for me')", in an apparent suggestion that Commander be killed.[305][306] Months earlier, Commander had been moved out of the White House after having bitten Secret Service agents and others on over a dozen occasions. In an interview, Noem said that Biden was "accountable" and called for Biden to "make a decision" on "what to do" about Commander.[307][308]
Noem also falsely claimed that she met with North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un. Noem's spokesperson said the claim was an error and would be expunged from the book's future editions.[309] Separately, Noem claimed in the book that she was once "slated to meet with French president Emmanuel Macron", but called off the meeting because he made a "very pro-Hamas and anti-Israel comment to the press"; the French government responded that it had neither invited Noem nor had any record of a scheduled meeting with her.[310]
The Washington Post's literary critic Ron Charles wrote that the "description of Cricket's Last Stand is the one time in this howlingly dull book that Noem demonstrates any sense of setting, character, plot and emotional honesty. Otherwise, it's mostly a hodgepodge of worn chestnuts and conservative maxims".[311]
Autobiographies
- Noem, Kristi (2022). Not My First Rodeo. New York: Twelve. ISBN 978-1538707050.
- Noem, Kristi (2024). No Going Back. Nashville: Center Street. ISBN 978-1546008163.
See also
References
External links
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