Kristi Noem Pushes Back on New York Times Framing Her Comments as Critical of Trump

Facebook/Kristi Noem
Facebook/Kristi Noem
Paul Bois

Republican South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem pushed back against the New York Times quoting her as having criticized former President Donald Trump’s 2024 bid.

Published on Wednesday, shortly after the former president announced his presidential campaign, the New York Times quoted Noem as having said that Trump does not give Republicans “the best chance” of winning back the White House.

“If we narrow our focus there, then we’re not talking to every single American. Our job is not just to talk to people who love Trump or hate Trump. Our job is to talk to every single American,” Noem told the outlet.

Noem’s communications team later told Breitbart News that her comments were “taken out of context.” The governor further explained her position during an appearance on Steve Bannon’s War Room show.

“The New York Times are liars,” she said. “What they printed is not what I said.”

Noem clarified that she actually called for Republicans to take greater responsibility with messaging and not put all of that onto the former president’s shoulders.

“What I said is that every single one of us, as Republicans, needs to be messengers,” she said. “It’s all of our jobs. President Trump is the only one running for president, who’s the only one who has been president. He’s obviously the leader of our party right now and he has a responsibility, but we all do too.”

“I think that’s what we need to recognize,” she added. “That we should not put all the weight of messaging what is great about America on one person. That it’s every one of our jobs and we should get up every day with that responsibility on our shoulders.”

Various Republicans, most of the established variety, have come out swinging against the former president’s 2024 candidacy this week, with National Review issuing a “firm, unmistakeable, no” to his third White House bid.

“To paraphrase Voltaire after he attended an orgy, once was an experiment, twice would be perverse,” the editors began. “A bruised Donald Trump announced a new presidential bid on Tuesday night, an invitation to double down on the outrages and failures of the last several years that Republicans should reject without hesitation or doubt.”

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