Kristi Noem blasted for chastising ‘fake news’ host Margaret Brennan over bizarre interview: ‘Stop playing victim’

ByShweta Kukreti
May 06, 2024 

Kristi Noem has claimed in a post on X that she was unfairly grilled by CBS host Margaret Brennan during an interview.

It seems there is no end to 'puppy killer' Kristi Noem's controversies. The South Dakota Governor recently appeared on CBS' Face of Nation to clear the air about her falsely claimed meeting with North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un and to suggest that President Joe Biden's dog Commander should be killed.

During the CBS interview, Noem felt the heat as she asked the interviewer, “Why am I being treated differently than every other person that you’ve interviewed? You don’t interrupt other people. You let them talk.”(AP)

After getting candid with CBS host Margaret Brennan, Trump's potential VP contender garnered much limelight as she started trending on social media, including X, for her interview. However, Noem took U-turn on Sunday to complain about Brennan, alleging that she was unfairly grilled by her.

She went on to say that her Democratic colleagues like former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi would never have been exposed to such harsh interrogation.

“This morning in our 15-minute interview, Margaret Brennan interrupted me 36 times—once every 25 seconds on average," miffed Noem posted on X. In contrast to her claims, the host was seen interrupting or questioning her at a few moments, prompting the governor to change the topic or move ahead without answering the question.

During the interview, Noem felt the heat as she asked the interviewer, “Why am I being treated differently than every other person that you’ve interviewed? You don’t interrupt other people. You let them talk.”

To make her point clear, she continued on X, “In the fake news media, there are two sets of rules, and conservative[s] are always treated differently. That’s why Americans don’t trust the Fake News.”

Also Read: US House lawmakers form ‘Dog Lovers Caucus’ after Kristi Noem calls puppy shooting report ‘fake’ news

Exploring why Noem decided to target Margaret Brennan

Notably, Noem's post on X came after she faced backlash over her remarks in the interview, with MSNBC host, saying "No bad dogs, only bad people."

Meanwhile, Former GOP Rep Joe Walsh told to CNN: “I served with Kristi Noem; she wasn't like this. Every one of my former Republican colleagues has learned to be like Trump. To be cruel. To lie. To never, ever apologise.”

"Kristi Noem, Trump’s potential VP nominee, says that she wants to put down President Biden’s dog. These people are lunatics and we cannot let them near power," a handle named Biden's Win tweeted.

Some of the X users even commented on Noem's post, asking her to “stop playing the victim card”.

“We all watched the interview, and you were not rudely interrupted, but you did lie an awful lot. At least it kept you busy so you couldn't kill any more dogs for a few minutes,” one of her followers commented.

What went wrong for Kristy Noem during the interview?

Noem was basically grilled about her upcoming book 'No Going Back'. When Brennan openly asked her if she really met Kim Jong Un, the governor refused to talk about her “specific” encounters with world leaders.

However, she admitted the error in her book and the publisher will make the edits before its release. Meanwhile, publisher Center Street announced on X that they have removed the passage in question, but added, "Further questions about the passage should be referred to the author".

The governor, who tried to defend killing her 14-old-month dog 'Cricket', seemed to suggest on-air that Biden's troubled dog Commander should meet a similar fate.

After removing Commander from the White House for biting several Secret Service personnel, Biden decided to send his dog to his relatives in order to reach a perfect resolution.

Is Commander next? Kristi Noem suggests Biden’s troubled dog should be killed just like 'Cricket'

ByShweta Kukreti
May 05, 2024 

Kristi Noem now come up with a bizarre suggestion that President Joe Biden's troubled dog 'Commander' should be killed too.

It seems 'puppy killer' Kristi Noem has no shame after admitting to a murder of 14-month-old dog 'Cricket'. She has now come up with a bizarre suggestion that President Joe Biden's troubled dog 'Commander' should be killed too.

Following the reports that Commander drew blood from a Secret Service agent, the White House in March said that Biden handed over the German shepherd to his relatives due to repeated biting incidents.(X/@ImMeme0)

Appearing on CBS’s Face the Nation on Sunday, Noem stood firm by her admission of killing a dog in her upcoming memoir and quipped that Commander would say “say hello to” Cricket.

The South Dakota Governor, 52, stressed that Biden's pup, who was shifted from the White House last fall after he reportedly bit dozens of people, had raised safety concerns for staffers and Secret Service agents.

“Joe Biden’s dog has attacked 24 Secret Service people. So how many people are enough people to be attacked and dangerously hurt before you make a decision on a dog?” Noem asked.

“That’s the question that the President should be held accountable to,” the potential Trump VP added.

Moderator Margaret Brennan promptly asked if “You’re saying he should be shot?”

“What is the number?” Noem replied before attempting to change the topic.

Where is Commander?

Following the reports that Commander drew blood from a Secret Service agent, the White House in March said that Biden handed over the German shepherd to his relatives due to repeated biting incidents.

Noem, whose name has been touted as a potential vice presidential candidate for Donald Trump, has come under fire after she admitted to killing her dog in a new book 'No Going Back', which will hit the shelves on May 7.

"I hated that dog," Noem said in her book, as per the copy obtained by The Guardian. "[Cricket was] dangerous to anyone she came in contact with."

Noem then recalled shooting the “disgusting, musky, rancid” goat, which she claimed used to chase her kids.

Also Read: Kristy Noem finally clears the air if she really met with Kim Jong Un amid fresh controversy

Meanwhile, a group of US House members have joined hands to form a "Dog Lovers Caucus" in a bid to promote harmony among people who appreciate man's best friend.

This move is blatantly directed at the South Dakota Governor for defending her claims of killing her mischievous puppy due to its "aggressive personality".
Did Trump ignore Kristi Noem?

Trump met with a group of potential vice presidential candidates at the Republican National Committee's spring conference in Palm Beach on Saturday.

NBC claimed that Noem arrived there but left early as her name was not mentioned among the contenders who joined Trump onstage in the RNC's readout of the event.

SEE

Noem in political freefall as book inaccuracies emerge following dog killing backlash

FAKE FACTS

Kristi Noem falsely claims she met Kim Jong Un in new book after puppy killing controversy

NOEM;NOT PRO-LIFE

'Who kills a puppy?' CNN panel blasts Kristi Noem's murderous streak

MISANTHROPIC GOP FAMILY VALUES 

'I hated that dog': Kristi Noem recalls gunning down family's 'worthless' pup

Kristi Noem banned from Native American reservation because of 'gossip and lies'

FAKE FACTS

Kristi Noem falsely claims she met Kim Jong Un in new book after puppy killing controversy

By Caitlin Doornbos
Published May 3, 2024

WASHINGTON — Maybe Kristi Noem should just put the pen down.

For the second time in a week, the glamorous South Dakota governor has made shocking claims in her upcoming book, “No Going Back” — this time, that she met with North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un while a member of Congress.

The only problem? It never happened, The Post has confirmed.

In a galley excerpt obtained by The Post, the 52-year-old Noem includes Kim in a laundry list of world leaders with whom she claims to have come face to face, either while governor or while serving in the House of Representatives for eight years.

In her forthcoming book, Noem claims she met with the North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un

“I’m sure he underestimated me,” Noem writes of Kim, who has ruled North Korea with an iron fist since 2011, “having no clue about my experience staring down little tyrants (I’d been a children’s pastor, after all.).”

Noem writes that the meeting took place while she was a member of the House Armed Services Committee, on which she served from 2013 to 2015.

However, Kim did not leave the confines of North Korea while in office until 2018, and there is no evidence of any member of Congress publicly or secretly traveling to the Hermit Kingdom during the period specified by Noem.

“I don’t see any conceivable way that a single junior member of Congress without explicit escort from the US State Department and military would be meeting with a leader from North Korea,” George A. Lopez, a North Korea expert and professor at the University of Notre Dame, told the Dakota Scout, which first reported on Noem’s questionable Kim claim.

“There’s no way,” Benjamin Young, another prominent observer of North Korea and an assistant professor at Virginia Commonwealth University, told the outlet. “There’s no way.”

There is no evidence that Kim Jong Un met with any member of Congress, let alone Noem

.KCNA VIA KNS/AFP via Getty Images

Noem also raised eyebrows among veteran North Korea watchers by referring to Kim as “president,” when his formal title is “chairman.”

When contacted by The Post Thursday, Noem spokesman Ian Fury initially said the governor “will not be discussing the details of her meetings with world leaders.”

“If she wanted to share those, she would have outlined them in the book,” he added.

Noem mistakenly referred to Kim Jong Un as “president” when his actual title is “chairman.”AFP via Getty Images

Several hours later, Fury sent an additional response, saying that Noem’s publisher “will be addressing conflated world leaders’ names in the book before it is released.”

In addition to Kim, Noem said she had met with Chinese President Xi Jinping, Jordan’s King Abdullah II, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and then-UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

The latest controversy comes less than a week after Noem all but killed her chances at becoming former President Donald Trump’s 2024 running mate by admitting in the same book that she executed a 14-month-old dog named Cricket whom Noem says she “hated” in part because the animal was “untrainable” as a hunting dog.

While Trump has not spoken publicly about Noem’s claims, she faced fierce backlash from Republicans and Democrats alike when the news broke.

Kristi Noem's book has more problems than just her brutal dog-killing admission

Brent D. Griffiths 

May 3, 2024

BUSINESS INSIDER

South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem has faced multiple concerns over her forthcoming book. Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem is facing more concerns about her book.
The Republican team's admits that Noem's claim she met North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is inaccurate.

Former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley's team is strongly disputing Noem's account.


South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem is facing concerns about her forthcoming book beyond her bizarre anecdote that she killed the family's 14-month-old dog because it was too aggressive.

Politico reported that in the book, "No Going Back: The Truth on What's Wrong with Politics and How We Move America Forward," Noem claims to have met North Korean leader Kim Jong Un when she served in Congress.

Noem's spokesperson admitted to the publication that the governor's claim was wrong.

"We've been made aware that the publisher will be addressing conflated world leaders' names in the book before it is released," Noem spokesperson Ian Fury told the publication. A Noem representative did not immediately respond to Business Insider's request for comment.

The South Dakota governor has seen her political standing crater in recent months just as she needed to showcase her skills if she wanted to become former President Donald Trump's running mate. Noem's book tour offered a perfect opportunity to put a capstone on her veepstakes shadow campaign. Instead, it is nearing disaster territory.

Noem has for days defended her decision decades ago to kill a 14-month-old dog named Cricket. She has defended disclosing the previously unknown story as a way of illustrating how she'll make tough decisions. In response, even fellow Republicans and Trump allies have tried to distance themselves from her.


Related stories


Does Kristi Noem even want to be Trump's vice president?


Who's Kristi Noem trying to impress by bragging about killing her dog?


"I've always been a strong advocate of a woman as VP, because I think you have some strong women — although maybe Kristi Noem is maybe a little too based," former White House strategist Steve Bannon told Donald Trump Jr. on Trump's "Triggered" show.

The Kim mixup isn't even the only new concern about the book. Politico reported that Noem recounts a conversation with former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley. In Noem's view, Haley was subtly threatening her during a 2021 conversation about the governor's political career.

"Hi, Governor, this is Ambassador Nikki Haley, and I just wanted to introduce myself and have a conversation," Noem wrote of the talk. "I just wanted to let you know that I follow you quite a bit. I have heard quite a bit about you, and you are doing a good job there in South Dakota. I was thinking that maybe you might like a mentor, and maybe I could be someone who could do that for you."

Noem adds that Haley then promised to keep her aware of she heard any bad things about the governor.

""Let me be clear,' she added. 'I've heard many good things about you. But when I do hear bad things, I will make sure that you know. I've enjoyed talking to you. We will visit soon. Goodbye.' Click."

After the conversation, Noem claims she called an aide.

"'I think I was just threatened by Nikki Haley?'" Noem wrote of what she said.

Haley's camp strongly disputes Noem's characterization. A spokesperson for Haley, who challenged Trump for the 2024 GOP primary, also claimed that Noem got the year of the conversation wrong. It was a year earlier, in 2020.

"Nikki has long called and written notes supporting other women when they go through challenging times," Haley spokesperson Chaney Denton told Politico. "She called Governor Noem in 2020 to encourage her when she was criticized for keeping her state open during Covid. How she would twist that into a threat is just plain weird."

NOEM;NOT PRO-LIFE

'Who kills a puppy?' CNN panel blasts Kristi Noem's murderous streak

YOU TRAIN PUPPIES NOT SHOOT THEM

David Edwards
April 28, 2024

CNN/screen grab

CNN contributors blasted South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem (R), who reportedly shot a 14-month-old puppy to death.

"This is something that she wrote in her book that she killed a 14-month-old puppy and a goat on her family farm," CNN's Dana Bash said Sunday. "And three horses, she said it wasn't a pleasant job, but it had to be done, and after it was over, I realized another unpleasant job needed to be done, and then she went on to talk about her goat."

CNN's Ana Navarro said she thought the story was "made up" when she first heard it.

"Because number one, I couldn't believe somebody would do that, kill a puppy," Ana Navarro remarked. "Who kills a puppy? And then admit to it. And then write about it in her memoir?"

"I mean, is it something that she thinks is so normal that you actually write about it?" she said. "I'm old enough to remember when Mitt Romney got the bejesus beat out of him because he tied a dog to the car."

Contributor S. E. Cupp, who said she used dogs to hunt, agreed with Navarro.

"There are 592 other things you can do with a dog that won't hunt besides kill it in front of your kid and construction workers," Cupp opined. "Remember Joni Ernst was talking about castrating pigs when she came in, was running for Senate. Like it's a thing some women feel like they have to do. This does not land."

"My publisher would say, S.E., I cannot, in good consciousness, let you keep this in the book," she added. "It is awful. Maybe she's auditioning for Cruella de Vil."


Watch the video below from CNN or at the link.

Kristi Noem indulging Trump's 'fetish for brutality' by confessing to pup's brutal slaying

Travis Gettys
April 29, 2024 


South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem was indulging in Donald Trump's "fetish" for brutality by confessing to gunning down her family's puppy for misbehavior, according to anti-Trump conservative Charlie Sykes.

The Republican governor who has been considered a frontrunner to become the former president's running mate, and both Sykes and MSNBC's Joe Scarborough agreed Noem was pitching herself to Trump by revealing that she had fatally shot the 14-month-old pup for ruining a pheasant hunt and killing a neighbor's chickens.

"It's the confessional aspect, the confessional aspect was done as a political pose: 'I'm tough, I'm mean, I'm an S.O.B. and I would even kill a little puppy if it's in my way,'" Scarborough said. "That's the sickest part of this. Donald Trump's Republican Party and the grotesque, the grotesqueness of the conservative movement's, the violent wing, this is where they go. This is virtue signaling for Republicans. Virtue signaling – 'I shot in cold blood a puppy in a gravel pit.'"

Sykes was astonished by Noem's admission to killing the dog, but he said her confession was revealing in other ways.

"I think that is the most extraordinary part about all of this [is] that she thought this would be a plus for her," Sykes said. "Look, this book is a campaign book. It is a resume to be Donald Trump's vice president. She thought it was a good idea, let's include this story. Let's tell this story about myself, how I took this puppy and shot him in the gravel pit. Why should we have done this? The obvious explanation is she thought that Donald Trump would like it. She thought that this would be a net positive. I can imagine her buddy Corey Lewandowski saying, 'No, put it in, Kristi, because Donald Trump wants people who are willing to do the tough, dirty, nasty things that are necessary,' and she did. Now, obviously, it's blown up in her face because even in our -- even on Earth 2.0, killing puppies is a net negative. I suppose one of the good things is we haven't seen MAGA world come out in defense of puppy killing. Of course, we've seen them come out in favor of a lot of things, but this does say a lot. Kristi Noem put this in the book and did not think it would be a net negative in the mind of Donald Trump."

"I do think that this is just, you know -- and why would she have thought that?" Sykes added. "Well, because increasingly, brutality is the point – not just cruelty but brutality. Donald Trump has a fetish for this. He talks about shooting shoplifters, extrajudicial murders of drug dealers. He said, how can you make the border defense as vicious as possible? Can we put razors on it? He tells stories about shooting prisoners of war with bullets tipped in pig blood. Obviously, there are people in Trump's orbit who thinks that this is the kind of thing that might induce him to think, she's a killer, tough, exactly the person who is willing to do the courageous things that need to be done."

Watch the video below or at this link.

'You can’t shoot your dog and then be VP:’ Dems, GOP bash Kristi Noem over memoir

Story by Gregory Svirnovskiy • 

“We love animals, but tough decisions like this happen all the time on a farm,” South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem tweeted after the story had already gone viral.© Jeff Dean/AP

Both Democrats and Republicans are piling on after South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem revealed in her upcoming memoir that she shot and killed her 14-month-old puppy named Cricket because of the dog’s alleged misbehavior.

The mother of three and former congress member has seen her political caché skyrocket in recent years and was reportedly a top contender to become Donald Trump’s 2024 running mate. But as the gruesome tale, first reported by The Guardian’s Martin Pengelly, picked up steam on Friday, so did questions about Noem’s vice presidential chances.

In her new memoir, Noem writes that she unsuccessfully tried to channel Cricket’s puppy energy into hunting pheasant. Instead, Cricket went “out of her mind with excitement, chasing all those birds and having the time of her life.” On the way home from hunting, Noem writes, the dog escaped her truck and attacked a local family’s chickens, behaving “like an untrainable assassin.”

Noem says she led the wirehaired pointer to a gravel pit and ended its life.

“We love animals, but tough decisions like this happen all the time on a farm,” Noem tweeted after the story had already gone viral.

According to The Guardian, Noem relayed the grisly story to illustrate her willingness to do “difficult, messy and ugly” things when necessary. Instead, the story has prompted pushback from Republicans and Democrats alike.

“Post a picture with your dog that doesn’t involve shooting them and throwing them in a gravel pit,” Minnesota Governor Tim Walz wrote on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter. Alongside it was a picture of Walz feeding his dog a treat.

Related video: South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem defends book excerpt about killing dog and goat. (The Artistree)  Duration 1:03  View on Watch

Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer and New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy also responded with pictures of their beloved pets.

“Ready for the weekend,” quipped the Biden-Harris campaign account, alongside pictures of President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris happily playing with their dogs.

“ACT NOW!” Rep. Jared Moskowitz (D-Fla.) wrote on X alongside an informercial-style video in memorium for Cricket. ”For just $.10 a day you can help us save a puppy from Kristi Noem.”

MAGA media personality and Trump ally Laura Loomer offered even harsher criticism, saying the ugly chapter was disqualifying for Noem’s vice presidential chances.

“She can’t be VP now,” Loomer tweeted. “You can’t shoot your dog and then be VP.”

Meanwhile, the Lincoln Project, an anti-Trump PAC founded by former Republican Party members, posted a video of its own, complete with a hashtag, #Justice4Cricket.

“Dog owners know our furry friends can be a lot to keep up with. But when those tough moments come, you have options,” the video said. “Shooting your dog in the face should not be one of them. And if you do happen to shoot your dog in the face, please, don’t write about it in your autobiography.”

Florida Governor and former Trump rival for the Republican presidential nomination Ron DeSantis pitched in with a call to action — and a dig at the southern border crisis.

“Essentia is a lab/shepherd mix who was rescued from the southern border, where the border crisis affects everyone — even our canine friends,” DeSantis tweeted. “Please consider giving Essentia a great home by adopting her from Big Dog Ranch Rescue.”

Noem book describing dog killing is a donation perk at upcoming GOP fundraiser

Mark Alesia, Investigative Reporter
April 26, 2024 

South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem at a National Rifle Association convention. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)

Kristi Noem’s new book, in which the South Dakota governor and Donald Trump vice presidential aspirant describes why she killed her 14-month-old dog, has sparked widespread outrage.

But to the California Republican Party, reading about how Noem shot Cricket — her family’s wirehair pointer — is a perk.

The book, No Going Back: The Truth on What's Wrong with Politics and How We Move America Forward, is included with every purchase of a ticket for a lunch banquet May 18 in Burlingame, Calif., during the California GOP Convention.

ALSO READ: Revealed: What government officials privately shared about Trump not disclosing finances

The prices: $400 for preferred seating, $300 for general admission, and $575 for a photo with Noem and a general admission ticket. Just want the photo and no grub? That’s $350.

People attending can hear Noem speak, eat lunch and go home to read about the dog she “hated.”

The California GOP did not immediately answer Raw Story’s question about whether it is reconsidering the book as a perk for the lunch.


Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump greets South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem during a rally at the Dayton International Airport on March 16, 2024, in Vandalia, Ohio. The rally was hosted by the Buckeye Values PAC.

 (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)

Noem personally stands to profit the from bulk purchase of her book by Republican political committees. The National Republican Congressional Committee, for one, purchased a bulk delivery of Noem's previous book and offered it as a donation incentive, Forbes' Zach Everson reported in 2022.

In excerpts published by The Guardian, Noem casts the story as an example of her willingness to take on tasks, including the “difficult, messy and ugly” ones.

She called the dog “untrainable” and “dangerous,” describing a scene where the dog escaped Noem’s truck and killed chickens.

Noem took the dog to a gravel pit to rid herself of Cricket.

“It was not a pleasant job,” she writes, “but it had to be done. And after it was over, I realized another unpleasant job needed to be done.”

The “job” of killing animals wasn’t over. She also shot and killed a “nasty and mean” goat, needing two shots to finish because the goat jumped.

“I guess if I were a better politician I wouldn’t tell the story here,” Noem writes.

Or maybe she knew exactly what she was doing, suggested Bill Kristol, political commentator and frequent critic of Trump’s Republican party.

“Knowing Donald Trump fears and hates dogs, Kristi Noem revs up her VP campaign by writing about killing her own dog,” Kristol posted on X.

Another post did a twist on the Jimi Hendrix song, “Hey Joe.”


After a musical note emoji, it said, “Hey Noem … I heard you shot your Puppy down.”



Sam Stein of Politico and MSNBC wrote, “We've gone a long way from Mitt Romney pleading with people that he did not mistreat Seamus by putting that dog on his car's roof to Kristi Noem eagerly writing about how she killed her dog in a gravel pit.”

Romney, a current U.S. senator from Utah and 2012 Republican presidential candidate, was assailed for putting his Irish setter Seamus in a dog carrier on top of a car for a 12-hour vacation ride in 1983.

A Washington Post story included a photo of people carrying signs saying, “Dogs Against Romney” and “I Ride Inside!”

The signs also publicized a website, dogsagainstromney.com, which now goes to a site that reviews dog products.


Commander, the dog of U.S. President Joe Biden, barks as Biden departs on the south lawn of the White House on June 25, 2022, in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images)

President Joe Biden has had his own dog-related problems, as family dog Commander, a German shepherd, bit numerous U.S. Secret Service personnel, according to internal documents obtained by CNN and USA Today.Biden most certainly did not kill Commander in a gravel pit; the presidential pooch is now living with other Biden family members outside the White House, according to first lady Jill Biden’s communications director, Elizabeth Alexander.

Abigail Disney evokes Old Yeller in plea to reject Republicans after Kristi Noem kills dog

Exclusive: great-niece of Walt Disney issues appeal to appalled voters on behalf of Progressive Change Campaign Committee


Martin Pengelly in Washington

Fri 10 May 2024 

THE GUARDIAN


Evoking the classic Disney tearjerker Old Yeller, in which a family is forced to put down their beloved dog, the US film-maker and campaigner Abigail Disney exhorted voters to oppose the Republican party of Kristi Noem, the South Dakota governor whose story of killing Cricket, a 14-month-old dog, shocked the world and seemingly dynamited her hopes of being Donald Trump’s running mate.


Trump VP contender Kristi Noem writes of killing dog – and goat – in new book

“My great-uncle Walt Disney knew the magic place animals have in the hearts of families everywhere,” Disney wrote in an email released by the Progressive Change Campaign Committee (PCCC) and obtained exclusively by the Guardian.

“When he released Old Yeller, the heart wrenching story stayed with people because no one takes the killing of a family pet lightly.

“At least that’s what I thought until I read about potential Trump VP Kristi Noem shooting her family’s puppy – a story that has shocked so many of us.”

Noem describes the day she killed Cricket (and an unnamed goat) in No Going Back, a campaign memoir published this week but first reported late last month by the Guardian.

Cricket, a 14-month-old wirehaired pointer, met her fate in a gravel pit because Noem deemed her “untrainable” after she disrupted a pheasant hunt and killed a neighbour’s chickens. The goat, which had not been castrated, was deemed too aggressive and smelly and a danger to Noem’s children. By the governor’s own admission, it took two blasts with a shotgun to finish the goat off.

Noem has repeatedly defended her story as indicative of her willingness to do unpleasant but necessary things in life as well as politics. Nonetheless, she has reportedly slipped way down Donald Trump’s list of possible vice-presidential picks, should the presumptive Republican nominee avoid prison on any of 88 criminal charges and should he beat Biden in November.

Two weeks after the Guardian report, shock and revulsion over Noem’s story continues to ring throughout the US. This week, amid a string of uncomfortable interviews even on usually friendly rightwing networks, also questioning an untrue claim to have met the North Korean leader, Kim Jong-un, the governor cut short a promotional tour for her book.

In her email in support of the PCCC, Disney said: “Walt Disney also understood story telling. Together, we must make sure all voters see how this sad Kristi Noem episode is part of the larger story of the 2024 election: America could vote into the White House extremists that glorify cruelty and lack basic empathy and compassion.”

View image in fullscreen

Kristi Noem’s book, seen in a Maryland store. Photograph: Jim Lo Scalzo/EPA

Asking readers to post pictures of beloved pets and the hashtag #UnleashTheVote, Disney also promoted a petition against “Trump and extreme Republicans who lack the character to lead our nation”.

Old Yeller, which the Guardian called “one of the best and most poignant boy-and-his dog movies”, was released in 1957. It tells the story of a family in Texas in 1869 that adopts a large yellow dog.

Disney said: “In Old Yeller, the family comes to see the lovable stray dog as an indispensable member of the family. The film’s climactic moment is a heartbreaking one, when the father has no choice but to shoot Old Yeller when the dog contracts rabies because of the inevitable threat to their lives – and, out of compassion, to end the suffering the dog would have to endure.

“Noem shot her family’s 14-month-old puppy after a hunting trip, in her own account, because she was too hard to teach. ‘I hated that dog,’ she wrote, framing the killing of a puppy as an example of strength.


Peta unveils Kristi Noem ‘ghoulish monster’ Halloween costume


“Kristi Noem is not strong. Like Trump, she is cruel and selfish.”

Listing positions taken by Trump and supporters like Noem, Disney said: “If Kristi Noem was actually strong, she would stand up to the January 6 insurrectionists instead of celebrating them. Or she would make billionaires pay their fair share of taxes instead of lining up for their campaign donations.

“If she had real courage, she might even criticise the supreme court for abolishing abortion rights or making it easier to flood our streets and schools with guns.

“True strength is not demonstrated through harshness, brutality, or callous indifference, but through steadfast kindness and compassion. Our pets teach most of us this lesson every day through their loyalty and unconditional love.

“Let’s make sure Americans demand leaders who do the same when it comes time to vote.”

Kristi Noem now banned from over 90 percent of tribal land in South Dakota after sixth tribe bars entry

Josh Marcus
Fri, May 10, 2024 



South Dakota governor Kristi Noem is now barred from entering six of the nine Native American reservations within the state, after a vote Friday by the Yankton Sioux Tribe.

Most of the tribes within the state have voted in recent months to bar the Republican leader from their territory, leaving her unable to access more than 90 per cent of the state’s tribal lands and more than 16 per cent of South Dakota’s total landmass.

The bans come in response to controversial recent comments from Ms Noem, accusing tribe members of being absentee parents and in cahoots with drug cartels.


“Their kids don’t have any hope,” the governor said at a town hall in March. “They don’t have parents who show up and help them. They have a tribal council or a president who focuses on a political agenda more than they care about actually helping somebody’s life look better.”

“We’ve got some tribal leaders that I believe are personally benefitting from the cartels being here, and that’s why they attack me every day,” she added.

Indigenous leaders condemned Ms Noem’s statements.

“As Tribal leaders, it is our duty to honor the voice of our people,” the Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate Tribal Council wrote in a statement earlier this week after a ban vote of its own. “Although, it is always a goal to engage in constructive dialogue with our political counterparts at the federal and state level. It is equally important we take actions that protect our values, ensuring a safe and inclusive environment, and preventing further marginalization of tribal nations.”

“Governor Kristi Noem’s wild and irresponsible attempt to connect tribal leaders and parents with Mexican drug cartels is a sad reflection of her fear-based politics that do nothing to bring people together to solve problems,” Standing Rock Sioux Tribal Council Janet Alkire said in a statement earlier this year. “Rather than make uninformed and unsubstantiated claims, Noem should work with tribal leaders to increase funding and resources for tribal law enforcement and education.”

In addition to the Yankton and Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate Tribes, the Oglala, Cheyenne River, Standing Rock, and Rosebud Sioux tribes have all voted to bar the governor from their reservations in South Dakota.

“Banishing Governor Noem does nothing to solve the problem,” a Noem spokesperson said in response to a past vote. “She calls on all our tribal leaders to banish the cartels from tribal lands.”

The Friday vote is the latest complication for Ms Noem, whose seen her reputation as a national rising star severely damaged in the wake of controversy over her new memoir No Going Back, which features a highly dubioous (and now-removed) claim she met Kim Jong UN, and a story about shooting a misbehaving farm dog.

The Independent has contacted the governor’s office for comment.



Opinion: Dog-Killer Kristi Noem Realizes Her Big Problem: She Isn’t Trump

Matt Lewis
Thu, May 9, 2024 

Photo Illustration by Thomas Levinson/The Daily Beast/Getty


The first law of holes is that if you find yourself in one, stop digging. After nearly two weeks of public humiliation, Kristi Noem may have finally gotten the memo. At least, it appears she has finally taken her vice presidential aspirations out to behind the gravel pit, and put her ill-fated media tour out of its misery.

All that is left to do is to ponder how a once-promising rising star—the South Dakota governor was considered to be on Donald Trump’s “short list” as a potential running mate—could so quickly implode, based on a book that she ostensibly wrote.

When the controversy first erupted, the focus was on Noem having shot and killed the family dog, Cricket. That was bad, but there was another shoe about to drop: Noem also claimed that she had met (and stared down) North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un, a boast that appears to be erroneous. This gave the book controversy legs.

Farmer Boss on Noem’s Puppy-Killing Excuse: That’s Cow Dung!

Noem’s refusal to answer basic questions only compounded her problems. Regarding meeting Kim Jong Un, her incessantly repeated non-answer was some version of, “I’ve met with many, many world leaders. I’ve traveled around the world… I’m not going to talk about my specific meetings with world leaders.”

Rather than appearing chastened or humbled by this experience, Noem displayed a brazen, aggressive, and pugilistic posture, even as her claims continued to fall apart.

For example, Noem said that she asked her publisher, Center Street (disclosure: Noem and I share the same publisher) to remove the North Korean dictator’s name once she “became aware” of his inclusion in the book. The only problem? Noem recorded the audio version of her book long before the decision to excise mention of the dictator.

When asked about that, Noem refused to discuss this discrepancy.

Eventually, friendly outlets started turning against her. This created a permission structure where she became fair game, even for conservative hosts. A feeding frenzy ensued, leading Noem to pull the plug on subsequent interviews.

We can only speculate as to why Noem a) volunteered damaging information in her book to begin with, and why she b) so badly botched the subsequent crisis management.

As to the former, Noem likely believed that telling these tales would boost her chances with Trump. This would make her at least the second potential veep pick to blow up on the tarmac as a result of trying to be the person she thought Trump wanted her to be (the first example being Alabama Sen. Katie Britt, whose disastrous State of the Union response likely doomed her chances).

But what explains the failure to effectively manage the fallout, once it became clear she had made a mistake by publishing these accounts?

One plausible explanation is that trying to clean up this mess would be like polishing a turd. This is to say that there is no way to defend the indefensible.

Could a contrite and compassionate politician have wiped away tears while explaining that a lot of Americans just can’t relate to rugged life on a ranch or farm in South Dakota, where (depending on whom you ask) killing dogs is common?

With a high degree of difficulty, it’s possible. Bill Clinton, I suspect, could have pulled it off.

The Kim Jong Un story might be even trickier—assuming she made the whole thing up. But if she really met the dictator, she should say so. And if a ghostwriter accidentally got the facts wrong, she should say that.

A big clue to Noem’s thinking can be found in the title of her book, No Going Back.

During the Trump era, there is a sense that one can lie with impunity, so long as you never let them see you sweat, and never back down. Being a MAGA Republican, in other words, means never having to say you’re sorry.

One problem with this philosophy is that while bluster and belligerence can sometimes work, they are merely one tool in the communicator’s toolbox.

Sometimes, the public can be persuaded by a good explanation. Sometimes, the public is willing to accept a heartfelt apology. But when all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail.

The even bigger problem is that Trump’s Teflon magic isn’t transferable to mere mortals.

By his example, Donald Trump has trained a generation of Republicans that acting like a bully always works, and that if you're explaining you're losing. While that is often true, what’s also true is that if you're not explaining… you’re not explaining.

Trump’s “always-on-offense” style might work for him, but his example should come with a warning label for the Kristi Noems of the world: “Do NOT, under any circumstances, attempt this at home.”

After almost two weeks’ of shoveling Trumpian B.S., Noem, it seems, has finally stopped digging.

Beyond Cricket: More Bonkers Stories From Kristi Noem’s Memoir

Justin Rohrlich
Thu, May 9, 2024 

Jonathan Ernst/Reuters


Ultra-MAGA South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem has become quasi-infamous for admitting to having cold-bloodedly assassinated a puppy and a goat, but in her newly released memoir, the right-wing true believer recounts an “inspirational” episode by which her own negligence nearly killed or seriously maimed untold numbers of innocent motorists.

In 2016, when Noem was a member of Congress, she flew from Washington, D.C. to Nashville, Tennessee to see her daughter Kass, who had driven there from South Dakota with a friend to deliver a load of custom fire pits Noem’s brother had built, according to the passage in No Going Back, which came out on Tuesday.

But the friend wasn’t planning to make the return trip, so Noem would instead keep Kass company, she writes (or, more accurately, ghostwriter and “crazy guy” Mike Loomis, who did not respond on Thursday to a request for comment).

“We got to the truck and flatbed that I had someone else hook up and get ready for us to take off early in the morning,” the passage goes on. “I made the mistake of not checking the hitch, but just jumped into the truck at six a.m. and hit the interstate headed out of Nashville. About ten minutes into the drive, going seventy miles per hour in eight lanes of crowded traffic, we hit a bump, and the trailer came unhitched. The heavy hitch slammed onto the asphalt, sparks flew everywhere, and the back end of the truck fishtailed almost out of control!”

Noem says she “struggled to get the rig slowed down without slamming the trailer into the tailgate of the pickup and without breaking the safety chains holding the trailer to the pickup.” The chains, Noem continues, “were the only thing keeping that trailer from running across traffic and surely hurting dozens of people.” She managed to pull off to the side of the road, where she and Kass “just stood there as thousands of people rushed by in their vehicles, oblivious to the destruction we had all just avoided.”

“Gosh, Kass, we could have killed so many people,” Noem recalls saying as she shook her head “in disbelief.”

“I know,” Kass replied, according to Noem. “Thank God we didn’t.”

Anti-seatbelt vigilante

To be sure, safety does not appear to have been drilled into Noem’s method of operating by her childhood role models. In chapter eight, Noem introduces readers to her father, Ron Arnold, a rancher who died in 1994 after jumping into a grain bin on the family farm.

She remembers watching Ron out in the yard, and seeing him “take a knife to his brand-new pickup, fresh from the dealership.”

“He was cutting the seat belts out,” Noem writes.

“‘What are you doing?’ I asked, wide-eyed.”

“The government is trying to pass a law to say we’re required to wear seat belts,” Noem says her father replied. “No government is going to tell me I have to wear them. So I’m taking them out.”

As Noem tells readers, “the message was clear: the government telling us what to do was not right.”

Governor Kristi Noem of South Dakota arrives at the Sturgis Buffalo Chip campground after riding in the Legends Ride for charity in 2021.
Scott Olson

Hiring the Hells Angels

The casual death, destruction, and risky behavior that seems to have been part-and-parcel of Noem’s life appears in full flower throughout her book.

When COVID-19 cut a deadly swath across the globe in the beginning of 2020, Noem was concerned not about the virus but that “the American population was at high risk for being controlled,” she writes.

“My staff and I watched the news as, one by one, states announced unthinkable lockdowns with unimaginable fear-mongering and threats,” Noem explains. “Spoiler alert, in case you missed it: South Dakota was the only state that stayed open.”

She describes the “crucial local support” at an Independence Day celebration that year which Noem insisted on having even though public health experts roundly warned the massive public gathering would likely become a “superspreader” event. Noem concedes that her decision to let it proceed was “controversial,” and that then-President Donald Trump would be in attendance, meaning security would be a “nightmare.”

“Hundreds if not thousands of Secret Service agents would be there, along with members of the South Dakota National Guard and law enforcement officers from every branch,” Noem writes. “Even with all these resources, we were concerned about several scenarios. In one of countless meetings, I said to my public safety secretary, ‘You know what? These motorcycle guys love Donald Trump. And we need help to make sure the roads aren’t blocked by protesters or troublemakers. There must be a way to engage their help, but the state can’t officially request it.’”

With a proverbial wink and nod, “[s]omeone in the room made it clear that they knew what to do, and that was the end of the discussion,” Noem says. “... Let’s put it this way: if someone wearing a Hell’s Angels vest makes it clear they don’t have time for any roadblocks, interruptions, or noise, potential disrupters will think twice.”

Throughout the book, Noem proudly touts her non-response to COVID, boasting that South Dakota leads the nation in “freedom.” In September 2020, Noem allowed the annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally to proceed unabated, creating a so-called superspreader event with attached public health costs of some $12 billion. And by November 2020, the state had recorded the third-highest COVID mortality rate in the world.

South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem rejected COVID guidelines.
Tom Williams

Church, meet state

“Can I share one more thing I’m angry about?” Noem writes in chapter eight. “I’m tired of listening to many Christians tell me it’s the government’s job to take care of people. It’s actually our job as the church, and there are many ways we can do it.”

Noem says she has “spent countless hours after church services talking to people who have needs.”

“Sometimes it feels like I should bring a staffer with us to handle all the casework that’s brought to me,” she continues. “‘Governor, can you help me get my unemployment check?’ ‘Governor, can you help me get food stamps?’ I want to help people. I do. And I always do what I can to assist. But in most situations, what people need, they could handle themselves or in partnership with church staff and local leaders. That’s how life is supposed to work, in my view.”

Provision, according to Noem, “comes from God and not government. We’re designed to work faithfully so we have the means to help others who genuinely need it. I’m glad there are people praying for me and other leaders. Wow, I sure need it! But this world also needs people who step into the mess and become part of the solution. I enjoy yelling at my TV as much as anyone, but in reality it accomplishes zero. We can’t delegate our God-given responsibility to bureaucrats.”

South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem speaks during the NRA conference in 2022.
Houston Chronicle/Hearst Newspapers via Getty Images

Taking aim, poorly

Noem tends to make a lot of noise about the Second Amendment and protecting gun rights, but admits to multiple firearms-related mishaps due to her own “poor shooting skills.” In October 2020, Noem posted what she “thought was a funny video about how we do social distancing in South Dakota—we go hunting,” she writes. “I was in a field and shot a pheasant… on the third attempt.”

“It was embarrassing that it took me three shots to kill that bird,” Noem continues. “But I had obviously spent too much time that year dealing with COVID, crises, decisions, press conferences, and running our state. That video horrified the legacy media but turned out to be one of the best ways to draw attention, and much-needed funds, to our campaign.”

One section in particular of Noem’s book has received significant blowback from people across the political spectrum, and especially from members of her own conference—including ex-president and de facto party boss Donald Trump. In it, Noem shares graphic, highly disturbing details of the day she fatally shot her own puppy and a billy goat from a herd she kept on her ranch.

The chapter, titled, “BAD DAY TO BE A GOAT,” begins with a recitation of the stressors Noem was facing during harvest season, likening it to “the Super Bowl of farming.” Running a hunting lodge at the same time, according to Noem, “is insane,” calling the combination “enough to break a family.”

Kristi Noem Blows Up at Fox Anchor Pressing Her on Puppy Murder

During one “particularly stressful year,” a group of longtime friends were at Noem’s ranch for their annual weeklong hunting trip, she writes. On their final day, after “strategically push[ing]” as many pheasants as possible to an 80-acre patch of land so her guests would “have an amazing amount of success” before heading home, Noem took “a few experienced dogs” along, as well as “one young dog named Cricket.”

“Cricket was a wirehair pointer, about fourteen months old, and she had come to us from a home that struggled with her aggressive personality,” Noem writes. “I was sure she’d learn a lot going out with our older dogs that day. I was wrong. Within an hour of walking the first field, Cricket had blown past the group, gotten too far ahead, and flushed up birds out of range. She was out of her mind with excitement, chasing all those birds and having the time of her life. The only problem was there were no hunters nearby to shoot the birds she scared up.”

Cricket was slow to respond to Noem’s verbal commands, and ignored vibrations from a shock collar around her neck, the book says.

“We all watched helplessly as dozens and dozens of pheasants exploded from the grass and flew out of sight,” it goes on. “The hunt was ruined. I was livid.”

On the way home, Noem says she realized she was one kennel short and decided to let Cricket ride loose in the back of her pickup truck. After all, if she “was dumb enough to jump out, then good riddance. After what she had pulled that day, I didn’t care.”

After Cricket later killed a neighbor’s chickens—Noem unironically dubs the pup a “trained assassin”—Noem says she decided she was untrainable and needed to go. She was “less than worthless to us as a hunting dog,” Noem writes.

“This was my dog and my responsibility, and I would not ask someone else to clean up my mess,” the passage continues. “I stopped the truck in the middle of the yard, got my gun, grabbed Cricket’s leash and led her out into the pasture and down into the gravel pit. It was not a pleasant job—but it had to be done.” (Noem says her other daughter would later emerge from the school bus, asking, “Hey, where’s Cricket?”)

Once Cricket was no longer, Noem “realized another unpleasant job needed to be done,” she writes. A billy goat that had been living on the farm for years was too “nasty and mean” to tolerate, and smelled like urine, which is how males in rut attract females.

“It’s the most disgusting, musky, rancid smell you can imagine,” Noem writes. “Not only was this goat constantly covered in his own muck, but he also loved to chase the kids.”

So, she shot him. However, Noem admits, “My shot was off and I needed one more shell to finish the job. Problem was, I didn’t have one. Not wanting him to suffer, I hustled back across the pasture to the pickup, grabbed another shell, hurried back to the gravel pit, and put him down.”

While walking back across the pasture, Noem says she passed a group of construction workers building her family’s new home. The men had “looks of shocked amazement on their faces,” and seemed afraid of Noem, she writes.

“Later that evening, my uncle, who was the general contractor building our house, called me and said, ‘What got into you today?’ ‘Nothing,’ I responded. ‘Why?’” Noem goes on.

“‘Well, the guys said you came barreling into the yard with your truck, slammed the door, and took a gun and a dog over the hill, out of sight. They heard one shot and you came back without the dog. Then you grabbed the goat and headed back up over the hill. They heard another shot, you came back, slammed the pickup door, went back. Then they heard another shot and then you came back without the goat. They said they hurried back to work before you decided they were next!’”

Governor of South Dakota Kristi Noem and Donald Trump.
Drew Angerer

GOP bootlicker

Twice-impeached ex-President Donald Trump, now on trial for paying $130,000 in hush money to a porn star so she wouldn’t discuss their fling and deep-six his chances of victory in 2016, “broke politics,” Noem admiringly writes.

“Some people try to emulate President Trump without success,” she says. “They seem unaware of what authenticity looks like—the power of conviction, forged over many years of action. Instead, they take the low, thoughtless road of being verbal bomb throwers. There’s a world of difference. And those fakers are so obvious, it’s almost sad to watch them try to imitate his style without the substance to back it up.”

The pathologically self-absorbed Trump, according to Noem, “really doesn’t think he’s better than anyone else. He values everyone.”

Noem’s first choice for president was Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, she writes. But after Rubio dropped out, having become “Liddle Marco” to Trump, who mocked the size of Rubio’s genitalia in one particularly asinine debate, “supporting Trump was not a difficult decision.”

“Trump’s renegade spirit had always resonated with me,” Noem writes. “It reminded me of some members of my family. As a candidate, Donald Trump did everything that the consultants had told me not to do. He did what everyone in Washington was afraid to do. He did some things I would never do. But he was running, he was working, he was doing, and he was speaking clearly.”

Trump has made a cottage industry of relaying tales of “big, strong” men, including U.S. military generals, police officers, and the like, weeping and sobbing when they get near him, drawing derision and no shortage of disbelief from most rational observers. Yet, Noem floats a claim in her memoir about a close friend named Beth who she insists collapsed into tears during an audience with the 45th president.

Noem brought Beth to the White House one day, and was able to get her into the Oval Office, according to the book. Trump was seated at the Resolute Desk, “reviewing some papers.”

“Beth stopped in her tracks just inside the door when she realized where she was,” Noem writes. “Then she looked up, covered her face with her hands, and started to cry. She gave me the biggest hug ever and said ‘I can’t believe it. I can’t believe I’m here.’”

Although Noem describes her as “a friend,” she also seems to have little regard for former Republican National Committee chair Ronna Romney McDaniel, who Trump forced to drop the first half of her last name, due to his unhinged dislike for Mitt Romney, her uncle, then forced her out of the RNC altogether in favor of his adult son Eric’s wife, Lara Trump.

“The fact that our party did not achieve a majority in the US Senate was a failure by the Republican National Committee (RNC),” Noem writes. “Ronna McDaniel’s leadership was in the spotlight during the 2023 presidential debates and, I must say, rightfully so. Ronna is a friend, and I respect her, but no business executive gets to produce poor results and still keep the top job—unless you work for Disney.”

Further, Noem complains, after Trump’s loss to Joe Biden in 2020, the RNC didn’t immediately provide a team of lawyers “ready to look into every question of fishy voting.” (The few known fraudulent votes cast in 2020 were largely cast by Republicans, according to reports.)

“Weeks passed,” Noem writes. “Months passed. Nothing.”

Noem goes on to mention various politicians she does look up to, namechecking neo-fascists like Hungarian PM Viktor Orbán and Italian leader Giorgia Meloni as having achieved “encouraging victories.”

“Giorgia and I talked candidly about being ostracized for our beliefs and attacks from political enemies,” Noem writes. “I reassured her that we all face those challenges. ‘Other than the fact that these people want to destroy our very existence, what’s the downside?’ I joked.”

Kristi Noem Says ICE Will Be ‘All Over’ Bad Bunny Super Bowl Halftime Show: The NFL ‘Sucks and We’ll Win and God Will Bless Us’

All Puerto Rican citizens are also American citizens, and it is impossible for them to enter the U.S. illegally because Puerto Rico is a U.S. territory.

Jack Dunn
Sat, October 4, 2025

 Variety


The Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem is doubling down on the threat of ICE at the 2026 Super Bowl.

During a recent appearance on Benny Johnson’s podcast, she said that ICE will be “all over that place” and has every intention to “enforce the law” at the NFL championship, which will feature Bad Bunny as the halftime performer.

Bad Bunny Is Redefining Pop Culture and Taking Over the Super Bowl - Will the Grammys Keep Up?

Trump Advisor Says ICE Agents Will Be at Super Bowl for Bad Bunny's Halftime Show: 'It's So Shameful They Picked Someone Who Seems to Hate America'

“I have the responsibility for making sure that everybody [who] goes to the Super Bowl has the opportunity to enjoy it and to leave. And that’s what America is about,” she said.

Noem went on to say that the only people who should come to the Super Bowl are “law-abiding Americans who love this country.”

Johnson, who suggested the NFL was trying to “send a message” to Donald Trump by booking Bad Bunny for the halftime show, asked Noem if she had a response to the sports organization.

“They suck and we’ll win and God will bless us,” Noem said. “We’ll stand and be proud of ourselves at the end of the day, and they won’t be able to sleep at night because they don’t know what they believe and they’re so weak. We’ll fix it.”

Trump’s former campaign manager, Corey Lewandowski, was the first to announce ICE would be in attendance at the Super Bowl. Also on Johnson’s podcast, he said, “There is nowhere you can provide safe haven to people who are in this country illegally. Not the Super Bowl and nowhere else. We will find you and apprehend you and put you in a detention facility and deport you. Know that is a very real situation under this administration, which is contrary to how it used to be.”

In an interview with I-D in September, Bad Bunny said his Puerto Rico residency will not be stopping in the U.S. because “fucking ICE could be outside [my concert]. And it’s something that we were talking about and very concerned about.”

“There were many reasons why I didn’t show up in the U.S., and none of them were out of hate — I’ve performed there many times,” he added. “All of [the shows] have been successful. All of them have been magnificent. I’ve enjoyed connecting with Latinos who have been living in the U.S. But specifically, for a residency here in Puerto Rico, when we are an unincorporated territory of the U.S. … People from the U.S. could come here to see the show.”

DHS Secretary Kristi Noem says ICE will be at Bad Bunny Super Bowl show, NFL 'won't be able to sleep at night'

"They suck and we'll win and God will bless us," the Homeland Security head said, "We'll fix it.""

Wesley Stenzel
Sat, October 4, 2025 

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY


Barry Williams / New York Daily News via Getty; John Nacion/Variety via GettyDepartment of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem in New York City on July 21, 2025; Bad Bunny at the 'Caught Stealing' New York City premiere on Aug. 26, 2025

Key points

Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem says she will send ICE to the Super Bowl.


Noem sent a harsh message to the NFL: "They suck and we'll win and God will bless us."


Bad Bunny, who is performing at the Super Bowl halftime show, declined to tour in the U.S. because he feared ICE would target his concerts.

Kristi Noem has confirmed that ICE will be present at the 2026 Super Bowl.

The Department of Homeland Security Secretary says Immigration and Customs Enforcement will monitor the final game of the NFL postseason in February, which will feature Bad Bunny as its halftime show performer.

"There will be, because the Department of Homeland Security is responsible for keeping it safe," she told The Benny Show's Benny Johnson when asked if ICE will have a presence at the event, which will take place at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif. "I have the responsibility for making sure that everybody [who] goes to the Super Bowl has the opportunity to enjoy it and to leave. And that's what America is about."

She continued, "Yeah, we'll be all over that place. And I can't— we're going to enforce the law."

Noem added that football fans must be patriotic in order to attend the Super Bowl. "I think people should not be coming to the Super Bowl unless they're law-abiding Americans who love this country," she said.

Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem in July 2025

Johnson then asked Noem if she has any words for the NFL, and suggested that the organization was attempting to "send a message" to the Trump administration by hiring Bad Bunny as its headliner.

"They suck and we'll win and God will bless us," Noem responded, "and we'll stand and be proud of ourselves at the end of the day, and they won't be able to sleep at night because they don't know what they believe and they're so weak. We'll fix it."

Representatives for the NFL and Bad Bunny did not immediately respond to Entertainment Weekly's requests for comment.

Bad Bunny, who boasted the third-most streams globally on Spotify in 2024 despite not releasing an album that year, was officially announced as the halftime show performer on Sunday. The artist reacted to landing the slot in a statement.

"What I'm feeling goes beyond myself," the musician, born Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, said. "It's for those who came before me and ran countless yards so I could come in and score a touchdown… this is for my people, my culture, and our history. Ve y dile a tu abuela, que seremos el halftime show del Super Bowl."

The Super Bowl will mark Bad Bunny's only performance in the continental U.S. to promote his latest album, Debí Tirar Más Fotos, opting to avoid the area in favor of a residency in his native Puerto Rico (which is a U.S. territory) and a world tour in Latin America, Australia, and Europe.

Kevin Mazur/GettyBad Bunny performing in San Juan, Puerto Rico, on July 11, 2025

Last month, Bad Bunny revealed that he declined the opportunity to bring his tour to the continental U.S. because he feared ICE would target concertgoers. "I've enjoyed connecting with Latinos who have been living in the U.S.," he told i-D. "But there was the issue of — like, f---ing ICE could be outside [my concert]. And it's something that we were talking about and very concerned about."

Get your daily dose of entertainment news, celebrity updates, and what to watch with our EW Dispatch newsletter.

Corey Lewandowski, a former campaign manager for Donald Trump who now serves as Noem's informal advisor, confirmed Ocasio's fears when he threatened that DHS would send ICE to the Super Bowl on Wednesday.

"There is nowhere you can provide safe haven to people who are in this country illegally. Not the Super Bowl and nowhere else," Lewandowski said on The Benny Show. "We will find you and apprehend you and put you in a detention facility and deport you."


Kristi Noem Says Only 'Law-Abiding Americans' Should Go To Super Bowl
HuffPost427


All Puerto Rican citizens are also American citizens, and it is impossible for them to enter the U.S. illegally because Puerto Rico is a U.S. territory. Still, Lewandowski claimed, "If there are illegal aliens, I don't care if it's a concert for Johnny Smith or Bad Bunny or anybody else. We're going to do enforcement everywhere. We are going to make Americans safe. That is a directive from the president. If you're in this country illegally, go home."

Noem: NFL ‘won’t be able to sleep at night’ over Bad Bunny Super Bowl performance

Filip Timotija
Sat, October 4, 2025
THE HILL

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said the NFL will not be “able to sleep at night” over its decision to pick Puerto Rican superstar Bad Bunny as the 2026 halftime performer.

“Well, they suck, and we’ll win, and God will bless us, and we’ll stand and be proud of ourselves at the end of the day, and they won’t be able to sleep at night because they don’t know what they believe, and they’re so weak, we’ll fix it,” Noem told conservative podcaster Benny Johnson on Friday.

Noem reaffirmed that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents will be at the Super Bowl, scheduled to take place in February in Santa Clara, Calif.

“There will be because the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is responsible for keeping it safe, so I have the responsibility for making sure everybody goes to the Super Bowl, has the opportunity to enjoy it and to leave, and that’s what America is about,” Noem said on Friday.

“So yeah, we’ll be all over that place, and I can. We’re going to enforce the law,” DHS chief added. “So I think people should not be coming to the Super Bowl unless there are law-abiding Americans who love this country.”

The NFL has faced blowback from conservative commentators and MAGA influencers over its decision to select Bad Bunny as the halftime headliner. The Puerto Rican artist said in an interview with i-D Magazine that he would not perform in mainland U.S. over concerns his concerts could be the target of ICE raids.

Earlier on Friday, the White House said there was “no tangible plan” to deploy ICE officers to the Super Bowl.

“As far as ICE being at the Super Bowl, as far as I’m aware there’s no tangible plan for that in store right now,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters. “However, of course this administration is always going to arrest and deport illegal immigrants when we find them if they are criminals. We’re going to do the right thing by our country.”

Corey Lewandowski, an adviser at DHS, indicated on Wednesday, while on “The Benny Show” that ICE raids will not be absent from the Super Bowl

“There is nowhere that you can provide safe haven to people in this country illegally. Not the Super Bowl and nowhere else,” Lewandowski said.


Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. 



Bad Bunny confirmed as 2026 Super Bowl halftime show headliner

The Latin superstar will take the stage at Levi’s Stadium on February 9

.

Alesandra Dubin
Creator•Follow
Updated Sun, September 28, 2025 



Bad Bunny will headline the 2026 Super Bowl halftime show.(NFL/Instagram)

Bad Bunny is officially going from the concert stage to one of the biggest stages in the world: the Super Bowl halftime show.

The NFL announced Sunday, September 28, that the 31-year-old Puerto Rican rapper will headline the halftime performance at Super Bowl LX, set for February 8, 2026, at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California. The news dropped during halftime of the Dallas Cowboys vs. Green Bay Packers game in the Sunday Night Football slot, after the league teased the reveal on social media.

The Instagram announcement, co-posted by five participating entities including Bad Bunny, the NFL, Sunday Night Football, Roc Nation, and Apple Music — had nearly 1 million likes in the first half hour.

This marks another history-making moment for Bad Bunny, who has become a global cultural force. His “Most Wanted” and “El Último Tour Del Mundo” runs sold out stadiums worldwide, and he’s frequently ranked among the most streamed artists on Spotify year after year.


He follows a lineup of major halftime performers in recent years: Kendrick Lamar in 2025, Usher in 2024, and Rihanna in 2023. Lamar’s show, which featured appearances from SZA, Samuel L. Jackson, Serena Williams, and DJ Mustard, went down as the most-viewed halftime show of all time.

The halftime slot is curated through the NFL’s partnership with Jay-Z’s Roc Nation, which has overseen the performances since 2019.

As for those much-discussed Taylor Swift rumors? Well, Swifties can officially put that idea to bed... for now. But Commissioner Roger Goodell recently hinted that Taylor Swift would be welcome to headline “at any time."

Tomi Lahren Ridiculed In Own Comment Section After Calling Puerto Rican Bad Bunny 'Not American'

Pocharapon Neammanee
Fri, October 3, 2025 
HUFFPOST

Conservative influencer Tomi Lahren was brutally mocked in her own comment section after a progressive guest reminded her that people born in Puerto Rico are U.S citizens during a tense debate that aired Tuesday.

“Tomi, I’m not going to sugarcoat this. You got humiliated,” read one comment with over 2,000 likes.

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Lahren invited “Breaking Points with Krystal and Saagar” host Krystal Ball on her show to debate recent news events, including the announcement that Bad Bunny would be performing at the Super Bowl 2026 halftime show.

Some MAGA conservatives were outraged by the announcement, complaining that the Latin artist’s songs are not in English and taking issue with his critiques of ICE and President Donald Trump.

 

Latin artist Bad Bunny is set to perform at the 2026 Super Bowl Halftime Show. Rosalind O'Connor/NBC via Getty Images

The multi-award-winning singer said last month he was not going to tour the U.S. out of concern that immigration enforcement could show up at his concerts, where many of his fans are Hispanic.

Seemingly proving the singer’s point, Department of Homeland Security adviser Corey Lewandowski threatened to have ICE agents at the Super Bowl.

Towards the end of her show, Lahren asked Ball if she believes Bad Bunny is a “good choice for the Super Bowl.”

Ball confessed she’s not “that knowledgeable” about Bad Bunny, but said he “seems like a great American artist, so sure.”

“He’s not an American artist, but—” Lahren said.

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“He’s Puerto Rican,” Ball reminded the conservative host. “That’s part of America, dear.”

Bad Bunny would also not be the only Super Bowl halftime performer not born in a U.S. state. Rihanna, who performed in 2023, was born in Barbados; The Weeknd, who performed in 2021, is Canadian; and 2020 headliner Shakira is from Colombia.

The full debate, which was posted on Lahren’s YouTube channel, received thousands of comments, with those at the top slamming the right-wing podcaster.

Tomi Lahren received some mockery in after saying Bad Bunny is not American. Jason Kempin via Getty Images

“Tomi didn’t know Puerto Rico is part of the USA! You can’t make this up hahahaha,” one comment top comment with over 2,000 likes read.

“This feels like a 7th grader debating their teacher,” said another.

“Crazy how this is Tomi’s channel and her own comments section seems to unanimously agree that she lost the debate,” another top comment read.

The interaction also went viral on TikTok, with several users stitching the interaction and making their own edits at Lahren’s expense.

Lahren did not argue after her guest noted Bad Bunny is an American, but moved on to slam the artist’s critique of ICE. However, Ball countered that “America agrees with him on that.”

“I mean, a majority of Americans think ICE has gone too far,” Ball said. “They’ve watched videos of, like, 79-year old-business owners being slammed to the ground and their ribs broken by ICE. So I think the American people are probably on board with that message at this point, Tomi.”

A number of polls conducted over the summer suggested that Trump’s immigration policies are incredibly unpopular amongst adult U.S citizens.

Despite the data, Lahren denied Ball’s assertion, telling her, “Well, whoever you’re talking to, I’m sure is, I’m not so sure the rest of the country is.”