SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) – Gov. Kristi Noem recently appeared on FOX News to give her opinions on how Donald Trump should pick a vice president for the 2024 elections, just days after she officially made his running mate shortlist.
“He needs somebody that is actually not a part of the swamp, I think,” Noem told Fox and Friends host Lawrence Jones Feb. 22. “He needs a business owner. He needs somebody who has been a commander in chief; somebody who makes decisions when things get tough. Those are his qualifications and he needs to know he can have somebody around him that trusts him and he trusts and will fight.”
Ian Fury, the governor’s director of communications, took to X (formerly Twitter) to reiterate Noem’s comments with a clip from the Fox and Friends interview.
In his post, Fury said Trump should look for a vice president who is “ready to go on day one, not from the swamp, has run a small business and balanced a checkbook, has been a commander in chief and someone who has his back and has never wavered.”
KELOLAND News reached out to Fury over email, asking if the governor’s statements implied she had those qualities and should be considered for the position. We also asked if she would accept the position if it is offered by Trump.
His reply: “The Governor’s remarks in the interview and my post speak for themselves.”
We followed up, asking for clarification on what “speak for themselves” meant, but did not receive a response at the time of this article’s publishing.
In September 2023, Noem did tell Newsmax that she would consider a theoretical offer from Trump “in a heartbeat.”
“Just because, you know, 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,” she said in the Newsmax interview.
Although Noem has been questioned for months now on whether she would be on Trump’s shortlist, the former president officially confirmed it in a Feb. 20 South Carolina town hall with Fox reporter Laura Ingraham. Also on the list is South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott, entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, Florida Rep. Byron Donalds and former Hawaii Rep. Tulsa Gabbard.
“Honestly, all of those people are good; they’re all good, they’re all solid,” Trump told Ingraham.
Noem is scheduled to speak at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) Friday, Feb. 23. At the 2023 conference, an unofficial poll was taken for who people would like to see as the 2024 vice president. Noem was in 6th place with a 5% approval.
“When (Trump) picks whoever it is, the vice president, I’ll support who he picks and I’m going to make sure that I’m someone who still continues to defend and fight for his policies,” Noem said during the Feb. 22 Fox interview.
