Donald Trump Picks Up Endorsement From GOP Governor, Potential VP?
President Trump headlined a rally Friday night in Rapid City, South Dakota.
Republican South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem took the stage first and used the opportunity to give Trump her “full and complete endorsement.”
“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,” Noem said.
WLTReport noted:
During a fundraiser in Rapid City, South Dakota, Governor Kristi Noem stated “I will do everything I can to help him win and save this country.”
Noem who took the stage at the fundraiser just minutes before President Trump took the stage told the crowd “All of them told us that they had better things to do. But when President Trump was invited to come be with you tonight, he said, ‘I will be there.”
WATCH:
BREAKING: South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem endorses Trump for President.
— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) September 9, 2023
Many people wondered if Kristi Noem may be Trump’s pick for vice president.
“Man standing behind Donald Trump in a cowboy hat is holding a Trump/Noem 2024 sign. What do you think about a Trump-Noem ticket? Let me know in your comments below,” said investigative journalist Laura Loomer.
Man standing behind @realDonaldTrump in a cowboy hat is holding a Trump/Noem 2024 sign.
What do you think about a Trump-Noem ticket? Let me know in your comments below.
Who would you like to see as @realDonaldTrump’s VP pick? pic.twitter.com/siHAKOjhR2
— Laura Loomer (@LauraLoomer) September 9, 2023
The Associated Press reports:
South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem endorsed former President Donald Trump at a party fundraiser in Rapid City Friday night that doubled as an opportunity for Noem to showcase herself as a potential vice presidential pick.
As his rivals held town halls and meet-and-greets in early voting states, Trump headlined the South Dakota Republican Party’s “Monumental Leaders Rally” in Rapid City, where Noem, once considered a potential 2024 candidate in her own right, instead threw her support behind the former president.
“I will do everything I can to help him win and save this country,” Noem said as she formally offered her endorsement before Trump took the stage. She said all the other Republican presidential candidates had been invited to the event. “All of them told us that they had better things to do. But when President Trump was invited to come be with you tonight, he said, ‘I will be there,’” she said.
Trump, for his part, praised Noem as “one of the most successful governors in the entire nation” and said her endorsement “means a lot.”
Noem endorses Trump pic.twitter.com/YGhBsPmlUE
— Jill Anthony (@JillSAnthony) September 9, 2023
Politico added:
Noem is widely believed to be in the mix to be Trump’s running mate.
Noem’s endorsement comes just weeks after telling Fox News “of course” she would consider a spot on the Trump 2024 ticket.
During her speech, Noem touted her teamwork with Trump during the Covid pandemic in 2020, saying: “He let me do my job.”
“When the rest of the country was locking down and ordering people to stay home, we did the exact opposite,” Noem said.
Trump later echoed Noem’s comments on Covid, comparing her to other — notably unnamed — governors who Trump said failed to follow through on similar promises.
“Unlike other governors, she never locked down South Dakota,” Trump said. “You know they all say ‘I kept it open, I kept it open’ — they didn’t keep it open.”