Kristi Noem serves as the Secretary of Homeland Security for the United States. She was even rumored to be Donald Trump’s pick as his vice presidential nominee. Noem has served as the governor of South Dakota from 2019 to 2025.
The 53-year-old was born in Watertown, South Dakota, in 1971. The Republican is known for doing several controversial things in her personal and political career. Here’s a list of the top 3 most controversial things Kristi Noem has done in her life.
Kristi Noem killed her dog
The politician has admitted to killing her dog in her book titled ‘No Going Back: The Truth on What’s Wrong with Politics and How We Move America Forward.’ Noem owned a dog called Cricket, who was meant to be a hunting dog. “I hated that dog,” she admits in the book.
She goes on to explain how Cricket was especially difficult to train and did not show promise as a hunting dog. The dog was only 14 months old when she was put down. Noem also admitted to killing a goat because it “loved” to chase her three kids down. The politician’s confessions in her book have caused public outrage.
Kristi Noem allegedly had an affair with a fellow politician
Noem has previously been accused of having an affair with one of Donald Trump’s aides. There were several rumours of the Secretary of Homeland Security having an affair with Corey Lewandowski in 2021.
JUST IN: Married South Dakota governor Kristi Noem and Trump advisor Corey Lewandowski have reportedly been having a years-long CLANDESTINE AFFAIR.
Will this make it MORE or LESS likely that Trump will choose Noem as his running mate? 🤨 pic.twitter.com/bnwYvaIqIv
— Jon Cooper 🇺🇸 (@joncoopertweets) September 15, 2023
A 2023 New York Post report claimed that the two had been openly having an affair for several years. A source told the publication that Noem and Lewandowski were seen at a bar getting “handsy.” The source added how their behavior was “absurdly blatant and public.”
Another incident where the two reportedly engaged in PDA was during a 2020 event at Mar-a-Lago. Ian Fury, who serves as the spokesperson for Noem, came forward to deny the affair claims.
Kristi Noem got banned from Tribal Lands in South Dakota
Kristi Noem was banned from the tribal lands after her problematic comment in 2024. The politician claimed that Native tribal kids didn’t have “any hope.” She added, “They don’t have parents who show up and help them.”
She made matters worse when she alleged that the native tribes were connected to drug cartels. Tribal leaders were so enraged following Noem’s comments that they forbade her from ever setting foot on their lands. This included the nine reserved tribal lands in Dakota.
As DHS Secretary, Kristi Noem would enforce Trump’s mass deportation agenda.
In her own state of South Dakota, she’s banned from tribal lands after spreading lies that cartels are “holding up shop” on reservations and “recruiting tribal members.”
Tribal leaders see it what it… pic.twitter.com/T57T49gbH1
— Christopher Webb (@cwebbonline) January 13, 2025
Clyde Estes, who serves as the chairman of the Lower Brule Sioux Tribe, was one of the many people who came forward to speak up against Noem. The easy way to put the matter to bed would have been for Noem to apologize for the outrage that she caused, which she did not do.
“We’re going to stand up to defend our people,” Estes declared after the politician’s outrageous comments. He also noted how the Republican would be charged with trespassing if she ever tried to visit the tribal lands.
