Amid widespread criticism over the revelation that she killed her 18-month-old dog named Cricket, South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem went on Face the Nation over the weekend to not only defend her decision but criticize President Biden for not killing his dog.
During Sunday's interview, Noem was asked about the ending of her upcoming memoir No Going Back in which she said the first thing she'd do if she got to the White House was to make sure Biden's dog was removed from the grounds. "Commander, say hello to Cricket."
In response, Noem said: "Joe Biden's dog has attacked 24 Secret Service people. So how many people is enough people to be attacked and dangerously hurt before you make a decision on a dog?" And, she added: "That's the question that the President should be held accountable to."
However, the details of the situations are different. Noem killed Cricket following a failed hunting trip and after it killed some chickens. Noem wrote in her book that she decided the dog was "untrainable. While she said it tried to bite her, it's unclear if it actually bit anyone. Whereas Biden had his two-year-old dog removed from the White House following a series of bitings.
Also during the interview, Noem, who was considered a front-runner for the Republican vice president candidacy, was questioned about how she wanted people to perceive the book, which she described as "honest." Aside from the dog killing, she was asked about her claim that she stared down North Korea's dictator Kim Jung Un while she was a congresswoman.
When asked "Did you meet Kim Jong Un?" she didn't give a direct answer. Instead, she said: "Well, you know, as soon as this was brought to my attention, I certainly made some changes and looked at this- this passage, and I've met with many, many world leaders, I've traveled around the world. As soon as it was brought to my attention, we went forward and have made some edits."
Last week, when the error was revealed, Noem's office said that they contacted the ghostwriter and editor to correct future editions. The book is scheduled to be released on May 7, 2024.
