South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem returned to cable news Sunday after a month-long hiatus from her promotional tour that was cut short after a story about her shooting her fourteen-month-old dog ‘Cricket’ exploded in the media.
CNN anchor Dana Bash hosted Noem on her show and again questioned her about the incident and her decision to share the story of shooting and killing her dog in her book ‘No Going Back.’
‘Now that you’ve had time to process all that, quite frankly, do you regret it?’ Bash asked Noem.
“You know, that story is a story from 20 years ago of a mother who made a very difficult decision to protect her children from a ferocious animal that was attacking livestock, killing livestock and attacking people,” Noem said.
He said that story was included in the book because it was a “difficult” incident in his life and he encouraged people to read it.
“It’s a practical guide for the average citizen on how to take back their government,” he said.
South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem and CNN anchor Dana Bash.
Bash again asked Noem if she regretted shooting her dog and including the story in her book, which even drew criticism from Republicans.
“We’ve covered this,” Noem said. “And I am a mother and I protected my children from a ferocious animal.”
Noem noted that a dog recently killed a 9-year-old boy in South Dakota.
‘That 9-year-old boy will never be in his parents’ lives again. “He will never be in the life of his family again,” he stated. “People find themselves in difficult situations in life and we learn from them.”
It seems that Noem was referring to reports of a nine-year-old boy who was killed by a pack of wild dogs on the Cheyenne River Reservation in May.
Noem was widely considered to be at the top of former President Donald Trump’s list of potential running mates until her book was published, unleashing an avalanche of criticism from dog owners around the world.
South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem speaks before Republican presidential candidate and former President Donald Trump’s remarks at a campaign rally.
South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem’s Book, ‘There’s No Going Back: The Truth About What’s Wrong in Politics and How We Move America Forward’
The Republican governor attempted to continue her book tour, but the story of how she shot her dog consumed all the news coverage and media interviews surrounding her book.
Noem finally stopped her book tour in early May and returned to South Dakota in reaction. quoting bad weather in the state that demanded their attention.
Trump later said in an interview that Noem had had a bad week, but that he was still a fan of the South Dakota governor, who had been “a supporter of the mind from day one.”
South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem visits FOX Business
Protesters appear to criticize Kristi Noem at Republican event
Trump said in an interview that “people in different parts of the country probably feel a little differently” about the story of her killing her dog, but admitted it was a difficult controversy.
“He had a bad week,” Trump said. “We all have bad weeks.”
But if Noem was ever a serious running mate candidate, it appears she didn’t make the short list.
Earlier this week, Trump narrowed his running mate search to just seven candidates, according to reports.
Former US president and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks with North Dakota Governor Kristi Noem during a Buckeye Values PAC rally in Vandalia, Ohio.
The list included North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, Marco Rubio of Florida, Ohio Sen. JD Vance and Tim Scott of South Carolina, Florida Rep. Byron Donalds, New York Rep. Elise Stefanik and former Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Ben Carson.
Noem said she didn’t care if she was chosen as Trump’s running mate, but said choosing a woman would be an advantage for his campaign.
“I think that would be beneficial,” he said. “Based on the polls I’ve seen for him, in a lot of swing states, having a woman helping him campaign makes a difference.”