Meet Kristi Noem, aspiring Donald Trump vice-presidential pick: the beauty queen-turned-South Dakota governor supported his election fraud claims and banned gender-affirming surgery in her state

Feb 28, 2024

South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem speaks to attendees at the North Carolina GOP convention in June 2021, in Greenville, North Carolina. Photo: Getty Images

As Donald Trump and Joe Biden are increasingly likely to face off during the 2024 US elections, the Republican front runner said Kristi Noem has ‘been incredible’ fighting for him

Noem grew up on a farm, wrote the memoir Not My First Rodeo, and was elected South Dakota’s first female governor in 2018 – she also allegedly had an affair with Trump adviser Corey Lewandowski

As Donald Trump and Joe Biden are increasingly likely to face off during the US elections later this year, attention is turning to who their running mates will be.

Earlier this month, Trump mentioned South Dakota governor Kristi Noem by name during an interview with Fox News, saying she’s “been incredible fighting” for him. Her name came up again at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), where attendees cast ballots in straw polls for who should share the Republican ticket. Noem and former 2024 presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy scored the highest at 15 per cent each of the vote, per The New York Times.

So, just who is Noem, and what has been her political track record so far?

Kristi Noem’s rise to political fame

Being governor of South Dakota is certainly not as high profile as New York or California, but Noem edged her way into the public eye when she pushed back against restrictions during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Per BBC, she was further aligned with former US president Donald Trump when she hosted him at Mount Rushmore in her state in 2020 for a Fourth of July celebration. Noem was widely reported as saying, “We trusted each other, and we got through our challenges together.”

Her alleged affair with a Trump adviser

Kristi Noem has been married to Bryon Noem since 1992, but allegedly had an affair with a Donald Trump adviser. Photo: @govkristinoem/Instagram

Kristi, 52, has been married to her husband Bryon Noem since 1992. The couple share three children together. Last year, her marriage came under the spotlight after multiple reports that she had been having an affair with Corey Lewandowski, a Trump adviser.

Per New York Post, Lewandowski has had several affairs and has also been accused of acting inappropriately towards several women, including smacking singer Joy Villa on her “backside”. Noem has denied the speculation.

She grew up on a farm

Kristi Noem’s memoir is titled Not My First Rodeo. Photo: @govkristinoem/Instagram