OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.
South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem sat for an interview earlier this week, during which time she fielded a number of foreign and domestic policy questions as well as whether or not she was considering becoming former President Donald Trump’s 2024 running mate.
In an interview with Real America’s Voice streaming network, Noem touched on several subjects, including China’s efforts over the course of decades to infiltrate the U.S. supply chain.
“We’ve seen China aggressively go after purchasing our land in this country, and my belief has been for over 20 years now that we’ve systematically seen China buy up our supply chains,” she told the network, adding that Beijing controls American supply chains on chemicals, fertilizer, and the ingredients for critical prescription drugs.
“Now we’ve seen them in the last several years go out into several states and purchase ag land…and I really believe that when they do control the supply chain, they will control the United States of America,” she predicted.
“If we think a pandemic was scary, wait until people go to the grocery store and people realize that they can’t feed their children because China has decided that they are not going to allow it because they want to aggressively pursue their agenda in this country,” she added.
South Dakota Gov. @KristiNoem talks to @DBrodyReports @RealDrGina & @TBatesNews on #AmericanSunrise about China’s aggressive land grab, standing strong with Israel, and what she thinks about joining President Donald Trump as his 2024 running mate.
WATCH: https://t.co/swTSKiKHTl pic.twitter.com/jQl2YkzxNs
— Real America's Voice (RAV) (@RealAmVoice) November 30, 2023
During her interview, Noem touted “America first” and added that taking the Chinese threat seriously is a “national security issue.”
At one point, the subject then turned to becoming a potential Trump running mate.
“Well, there’s a lot of people they’re talking about for vice president…I have long supported President Trump – he had his priorities right when he was leading this country,” Noem said.
The South Dakota governor was not convinced following the 2022 midterm elections that Trump would be the best candidate to lead the Republican Party into the 2024 presidential elections, but she appears to have changed her tune.
Noem endorsed Trump during a campaign rally in her state in September, CNN reported, “fueling speculation about the role the Republican governor may play in his third bid for the White House.”
Once considered as a potential 2024 candidate herself, Noem made clear earlier this year she would not be running and would instead focus her attention and energies on her state. However, in the months since, she appears to be raising her profile nationally ahead of next year’s presidential contest and has even sparked conversations about becoming Trump’s running mate.
“She’s remained in contact and on good terms with the former president, according to sources familiar with their interactions. Though Noem didn’t attend last month’s first Republican presidential debate, ads touting her state’s low taxes and job openings aired during it and since then on Fox News,” CNN reported.
Trump has indicated his strong affinity for Noem after she endorsed him.
“I think she’s fantastic,” Trump said in an interview in mid-September. “She’s been a great governor. She gave me a very full-throated endorsement, a beautiful endorsement, actually. It’s been a very good state for me, and certainly, she would be one of the people I would consider or for something else, maybe. We have a lot of great people in the Republican Party.”
Earlier, Trump said he likes “the concept” of selecting a woman as his running mate, but that he’s not wedded to the idea, per se, and is instead looking for “the right person.”
“You always do a little bit, but I really don’t think it’s time,” Trump said, per the Washington Examiner. “I want to win, and, you know, it’s very interesting about running mates, when you get down to a vice president, they said, ‘Nobody has ever made that kind of a difference.’ It’s still about the person that’s going to be president.”
