South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem returned to cable news on Sunday after a month-long hiatus from her book tour, which was cut short after a story about the shooting of her 14-month-old dog “Cricket” surfaced in the media.
CNN host Dana Bash featured Noem on her show and questioned her again about the incident and her decision to share the story of shooting and killing her dog in her book ‘No Going Back’
“Do you have any regrets now that you’ve had time to process all of this openly?” Bash asked Noem.
“You know, that story is a 20-year-old story about a mother who made a very difficult decision to protect her children from a vicious animal that was attacking livestock, killing livestock and attacking people,” Noem said.
She said the story was included in the book because it was a “difficult” event in her life and that she encouraged people to read it.
“It’s a manual for the average citizen on how to get their government back,” she said.
South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem and CNN anchor Dana Bash
Bash asked Noem again if she regretted shooting her dog and putting the story in her book, which even drew criticism from Republicans.
“We’ve discussed this,” Noem said. “And I’m a mother and I protected my children from a vicious animal.”
Noem pointed out that a 9-year-old boy was recently killed by a dog in South Dakota.
‘That nine-year-old boy will never be in his parents’ lives again. He will never be in his family’s lives again,” she said. ‘People get into difficult situations in life, and we learn from that.’
It seems like what Noem meant reports of a nine-year-old boy killed by a pack of wild dogs on the Cheyenne River Reservation in May.
Noem was widely considered to be at the top of the list of potential running mates for former President Donald Trump until her book was released, sparking a wave 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, ‘No Going Back: The Truth on What’s Wrong with Politics and How We Move America Forward’
The Republican governor tried to continue her book tour, but the story about her dog shooting consumed all reporting and media interviews surrounding her book.
Noem ultimately interrupted her book tour in early May and returned to South Dakota in response quote bad weather in the state that demanded her attention.
Afterwards, Trump 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 Spirit since day one.”
South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem visits FOX Business
Protesters show up to criticize Kristi Noem at a Republican event
Trump said in an interview that “people from different parts of the country probably think a little differently” about the story of her shooting her dog, but admitted it was a difficult controversy.
“She had a bad week,” Trump said. “We all have bad weeks.”
But if Noem was ever a serious running mate candidate, it appears she is not on the shortlist.
Earlier this week, Trump narrowed his search for running mates 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 Governor Doug Burgum of North Dakota, Marco Rubio of Florida, Senators JD Vance of Ohio and Tim Scott of South Carolina, Florida Representative Byron Donalds, New York Representative Elise Stefanik and former Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Ben Carson .
Noem said she did not care if she was chosen as Trump’s running mate, but said choosing a woman would be an asset to his campaign.
“I think that would be helpful,” she said. “According to the polls I’ve seen for him, in a lot of swing states, having a woman helping him on the campaign makes a difference.”