Donald Trump’s “ace up his sleeve” to attract women voters has long brown hair, expressive green eyes, and a charm that few can resist. That ace is Kristi Noem, who met the U.S. presidential candidate on October 14 at a town hall in Oaks, Pennsylvania, as reported by the French newspaper Le Figaro. Since then, the 53-year-old American has actively joined Trump’s campaign efforts.
The governor of South Dakota is working to counter accusations of misogyny against her “mentor,” as she refers to Trump, the Republican presidential hopeful. She is one of the key figures in Trump’s “Women’s Tour,” an initiative to address his popularity gap among female voters.
Last Saturday, Kristi Noem, who has been the governor of South Dakota since 2019, traveled to Georgia to advocate for Trump, accompanied by his daughter-in-law Lara, Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders, and Tulsi Gabbard, a former Democrat who recently crossed the aisle.
According to recent polls, the former U.S. president lags behind in popularity among women voters. Nevertheless, Trump remains undeterred, attempting to balance this deficit by focusing on male support, especially among young men, promoting an image of masculinity and resilience, even at the age of 79.
In recent days, Republican Trump has been managing the fallout from controversial remarks made by his vice-presidential pick, J.D. Vance. Vance had drawn harsh criticism from opponents after comments about childless women with cats, forcing Trump to vow he “will protect women, whether they like it or not.”
Experts note that the impact of this “gender gap” will depend on the level of mobilization among both groups. In the 2020 presidential election, women made up 55% of voters, while men accounted for 44%, as Le Figaro reports.
Kristi Noem and her brand of feminism
Although Noem took on a more prominent role toward the end of Trump’s campaign, she does not exactly embody the radical feminism inspired by the #MeToo movement in the U.S.
A “farmer, ranch owner, and avid pheasant hunter,” Kristi is married and a mother of three. She first became widely known during the COVID-19 pandemic when she refused to mandate mask-wearing, restrict travel, or close businesses in her state. Since then, her policies have clashed with those of the Biden administration.
Trump’s rising star, who champions the slogan “Make America Great Again,” had hoped that Trump might choose her for the vice-presidential slot if he were re-elected. Ultimately, however, he opted for J.D. Vance.
In her autobiography, she unhesitatingly reveals that she once euthanized her 14-month-old dog, Cricket, deeming it “untrainable” and “dangerous to anyone approaching it.”
For this reason, she even suggested to outgoing President Joe Biden that he do the same with his dog, which had bitten Secret Service agents 24 times before being removed from the White House.
Kristi Noem’s strong endorsement for Trump
Despite her statements about beloved pets undermining her chances for the vice-presidential nomination, Noem is not one to easily give up. Last Monday, while visiting the swing state of Wisconsin, she urged an audience of about 200 people to convince as many friends and acquaintances as possible to vote for Trump. “This man loves his country. He’s genuine and authentic,” Noem emphasized before illustrating her point with a unique example.
“The day he descended the golden escalator to announce his first presidential run, I remember standing in my farmhouse kitchen and wondering, ‘Who would do such a thing?’ But unlike other candidates who put on jeans to pretend they’re one of you as they vie for your vote, Donald Trump is comfortable being himself. He’ll never claim he’s better than others,” she asserted to the audience.
The South Dakota governor recalls her first meeting with Trump at the White House as if it were yesterday. Trump confided to her his dream of being carved into Mount Rushmore alongside George Washington and Thomas Jefferson, who penned the Declaration of Independence.
