South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem endorses Trump for president

Republican South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem endorsed former President Donald Trump’s 2024 White House bid on Friday, calling him “the fighter that our country needs.”

Noem’s endorsement came during a South Dakota GOP rally headlined by the 77-year-old, intensifying speculation that the 51-year-old governor may be at the top of Trump’s list of potential 2024 running mates. 

“You made America great again once, let’s do it again,” Noem said as she introduced Trump at the Rapid City rally. 

“He has my full and complete endorsement for president of the United States of America. I will do everything I can to help him win and save this country,” she added, right before the ex-commander in chief took the stage. 

Trump, the 2024 GOP primary front-runner, gushed at the endorsement and praised Noem during his speech, calling her “one of the most successful governors in the entire nation” and a “warrior for American values.” 

“Kristi, I am truly honored to receive your endorsement. Very much so,” Trump said. 

“It’s a great honor,” he said of receiving Noem’s backing. “Her’s means a lot.”

Noem revealed that some of Trump’s primary rivals were invited to attend Friday’s “Monumental Leaders Rally” but declined. 

“Tim Scott was asked, and he declined. Vivek [Ramaswamy] was invited, and he turned us down. Other candidates were asked and all of them told us that they had better things to do,” Noem said.  

“But when President Trump was invited to come be with you tonight, he said, ‘I will be there.’” 

Trump holds a massive, nearly 40-point lead in the GOP primary race, according to the latest RealClearPolitics average of national polls.

Noem’s allies had hoped that her appearance alongside Trump would conjure the image of a presidential ticket, two senior Republicans familiar with her thinking told the Associated Press. 

Several members of the crowd held up “Trump/Noem 2024” signs as the president and the governor delivered their speeches. 

When asked Thursday during an interview with Newsmax if she would consider a theoretical opportunity to be Trump’s running mate, Noem responded, “Oh, absolutely.” 

“I would in a heartbeat,” she added. “Just because you respect the position and the person who asks you to do something and then see if you really believe that you could make a difference.”

“Trump needs a strong partner if he’s going to take back the White House,” she argued. “And he’s going to need somebody who knows what it’s like to run a business, to be an employee, earn a paycheck, but also having a wife, mom, and grandma isn’t bad either. And I think that that kind of perspective would weigh in very well on a lot of policy decisions.”

The embattled former president is facing a total of 91 charges across four criminal cases — and up to 712 years and six months behind bars if convicted of all of them.