Government of South Dakota Kristi Noem The former president said this on Sunday Donald Trump should choose a running mate who will “help him win,” and indicated she has not been formally vetted for the position.
“I have not received any papers. No, I didn’t,” Noem told NBC’s “Meet the Press,” adding, “I’ve had conversations with the president and I know he’s the only one who’s going to make the decisions about who his deputy will become president. president.”
Earlier this month, Noem suggested that having a woman on the ticket could be particularly helpful for Trump, telling CNN, “All the polls are telling him in these swing states that having a woman on the ticket helps him win.”
But when guest moderator Peter Alexander asked Sunday whether Trump would make a mistake by not selecting a woman for the ticket, Noem did not say so.
“He needs to pick the best person for the job,” Noem told Alexander, adding that Trump “needs to pick someone who will help him win.”
NBC News reported Friday that Trump’s vice presidential search has been narrowed down to three Republican men: Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida, Sen. J.D. Vance of Ohio and Governor of North Dakota. Doug Burgum.
Burgum told CNN on Sunday that Trump is a strong enough candidate that he does not need to select a vice president who will help him gather votes.
“President Trump can win this race no matter who is vice president. He has the luxury of not having to choose anyone,” Burgum said.
Noem was seen as one of the leading candidates on Trump’s shortlist for vice president, but faced backlash earlier this year over an anecdote she told in a memoir about the killing of her family’s young dog.
When asked whether what she wrote in her book cost her a shot at becoming vice president, Noem declined to answer, saying only, “I would say that was a story from 20 years ago, where I protected my children from a cruel animal.’
She later added, “The reason it’s in my book is because that book is full of challenging times and difficult decisions.”
The book also drew criticism after certain parts were disputed, including claims that she had met with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
Future editions of the book will not include the North Korean anecdote, which her spokesperson later acknowledged was incorrect.
“I’m not going to talk about that,” Noem said Sunday, adding, “I took that line out of my book and I’m not going to talk about it.”
Noem also spoke about her views on abortion, which conflict with Trump’s. South Dakota has one of the most restrictive bans on the procedure in the country, with no exceptions allowed for rape and incest. Meanwhile, Trump has said he supports such exceptions.
The governor argued that her state’s law does not conflict with Trump’s views, which hold that laws regulating abortion should be made at the state level.
“I would say it’s going to look different,” Noem said Sunday. “[Trump] said that many times. You know, in our state specifically, the people decide.”
The governor also reiterated Trump’s stance on forgiving the rioters who stormed the Capitol on January 6, 2021.
“Each of these cases must be looked at individually,” Noem said. “[Pardons] will be based on his privilege and his decision when he looks at these cases.”
The former president has said he will “absolutely” consider pardoning any person convicted of his actions on January 6.
This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
