Donald Trump Endorses South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem for Reelection

Former President Donald Trump endorsed South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem for reelection on Tuesday, hailing her as a “fighter.” 

“Kristi Noem has done a great job as Governor of South Dakota,” he began. “She is strong on Borders, the Second Amendment, preserving land and Energy Dominance, Medical Freedom, and kept South Dakota open during COVID. She fully supports our great Law Enforcement, Military, our wonderful Vets — and is a fighter for the incredible people of South Dakota.”

“Kristi has my Complete and Total Endorsement!” he added.  

Noem gladly accepted the former president’s endorsement while acknowledging their “friendship.”

The former president’s endorsement of Noem comes as she faces a primary challenge from South Dakota state Rep. Steve Haugaard, who has attacked the governor for previously failing to sign a bill last year banning transgenders from competing in sports not corresponding to their biological sex.

“We need a full-time governor who puts South Dakotans first. Period,” Haugaard said when launching his primary challenge. “Kristi Noem has been beholden to special interests, from the NCAA, to big business, to corporate lobbyists.”

However, last week, Noem signed a bill into law restricting biological males from competing in women’s sports all the way up through college. Speaking with Fox News, she said the law was about “leveling the playing field.”

“It is true that your girls will have a level playing field,” she said. “They will get the chance to compete only against other biological females, as reflected on their birth certificate, because we want them to have a chance to be successful.”

“We recognize there are a lot of different competitions, such as academic, debate, speech, that your biological sex isn’t that much of a factor, but it is when it comes to sports,” Noem added. “And here in South Dakota in our K-12 system and at our college level, we are going to ensure that those girls have a chance to compete.”

Seven Democrats in Noem’s state opposed the bill and they were joined by ten Republicans. As Breitbart News reported, there were significant differences between the old bill that Noem rejected (HB 1217) and the new one (SB 46).

“While HB 1217 relied on a written statement from a child’s parents confirming their biological sex and that they had not taken any performance-enhancing drugs, such as anabolic steroids, Noem’s bill would rely on the child’s birth certificate — an official document,” noted the report.

“The old bill also did not define what ‘performance-enhancing drugs’ were, and that provision has been removed from SB 46,” it added.