South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem is definitely on Donald Trump’s shortlist of VP candidates, specifically mentioned by Trump during a recent interview, along with Senator Tim Scott (R-S.C.), as a potential VP.
She now has a problem cleaning up in her backyard, however, as the Oglala Sioux Tribe has just banned her from tribal lands in South Dakota over her comments on the border to support Donald Trump.
Talking Points...
- Noem backs Trump border policies
- Oglala Sioux Tribe issues ban
- Analysis
Governor Noem has been considered a favorite to be Trump’s VP from the very outset of this campaign. She has been playing into this by doing everything she can to raise her profile, which has included backing just about every play that Trump has made since his campaign started.
That, of course, includes the main focus of Trump’s campaign, which is immigration. Noem recently announced that she would be supporting Texas’ efforts, which will include sending both materials and personnel to the southern border to help. Noem stated:
“The United States of America is in a time of invasion. The invasion is coming over our southern border. The 50 states have a common enemy, and that enemy is the Mexican drug cartels.
“They are waging war against our nation, and these cartels are perpetuating violence in each of our states, even right here in South Dakota.”
After Noem made her statement, Tribe President Frank Star Comes Out issued a statement condemning Noem’s stance on the border. Her stated:
"Due to the safety of the Oyate, effective immediately, you are hereby Banished from the homelands of the Oglala Sioux Tribe.”
Noem responded to the ban, stating:
"My focus continues to be on working together to solve those problems. As I told bipartisan Native American legislators earlier this week, ‘I am not the one with a stiff arm here. You can’t build relationships if you don’t spend time together.’
"I stand ready to work with any of our state’s Native American tribes to build such relationships."
When I first sat down to write this report, I was going to say that this controversy may have taken Noem out of the race to be Trump’s VP, but then I thought about it again... what does Trump thrive on? Controversy.
Controversy means that you are in the headlines, and as far as Trump is concerned, any headline is a good headline if it means that people are talking about you. So, even though this is a very troublesome topic, Trump may see this as a plus.
We are not going to know for a few more weeks, at least, as Trump recently stated that it will be some time before he reveals who he is going to ask to be his VP. My guess is that Trump wants to keep the announcement on the back burner so his surrogates being considered, such as Senator Tim Scott (R-S.C.) and Noem, continue to campaign for him.
Having said that, my money is still on Tim Scott because of how Trump’s polling numbers get boosted if he has a minority on his ticket.
