Gov. Kristi Noem (R-SD) is campaigning to be Trump’s 2024 running mate.
When she revealed she shot her dog “Cricket” (photo, left; story here) because of behavior problems, her intent was to present herself as someone who can “make tough decisions.”
The dog’s offenses? It spoiled a hunt, attacked a neighbor’s chickens, and was “untrainable.” For that, it got the death penalty — a bullet to the head, KGB-style, in a gravel pit.
The public reaction isn’t what she expected.
Now she’s in damage-control mode. Assessing, probably accurately, that a mea culpa and public apology won’t work, she’s doubling down on her decision to kill the dog, asserting South Dakota law allows killing animals that pose a danger to livestock. The “livestock” in this case are chickens.
For crying out loud.
She’s getting no support. Even Republicans are appalled. The obvious question everyone is asking is, “If she didn’t want the dog, why didn’t she take it to a shelter?”
This is serious, because Americans think of dogs as family members, not a farm animal. We love dogs. It’s too early to tell whether this will destroy her political career, but it can’t possibly help (what was she thinking?). Even the dog’s name is a public relations nightmare; it’s one thing to shoot vicious Brutus, but a whole different thing to murder poor Cricket in cold blood.
People close to Trump say she’s out of the running for a place on his 2024 ticket, although only Trump has the final word, and that will depend on whether he views her as an asset or liability. But surely he now has other less controversial choices.