Gov. Kristi Noem (R-SD) issued a warning against Gov. Tim Walz (D-MN) becoming vice president, stating she is “absolutely” certain he is a “national security threat” to the United States.
Noem argued Walz was more centrist when the two were serving in the House of Representatives, but he has “completely changed” since becoming governor. She specifically expressed concerns over Walz’s connection to China and communism, including visiting the country about 30 times in the past.
“I’m 100% convinced he’s a national security risk,” Noem said on Fox News’s Sunday Morning Futures with Maria Bartiromo, guest-hosted by Sean Duffy. “This man wants America to grow up and be more like China, which is the exact opposite of what our leaders should be doing. I have spent all of my time fighting China, and for 30 years I’ve been working in policy on protecting our food supply, and we’ve seen China not only manipulate our currency, steal our IP, treat us unfairly in trade agreements. They’ve also spied on us, they’ve come in and now and they’re taking and buying our land.”
Noem added that the rest of the country needs to “wake up” and realize that neither Walz nor Vice President Kamala Harris should be in the White House. She then made a call to elect people who will want to protect the country from socialism, and concluded, “That’s not Tim Walz.”
The South Dakota governor also claimed she has seen “tens of thousands” of people leave Minnesota for South Dakota due to Walz’s leadership. She argued that Walz has “crippled” Minnesota residents and the state’s economy, and these residents are seeking greener pastures in other states.
Noem’s comments on people leaving Walz’s state mirror what Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) said about the Minnesota governor last month. DeSantis cited how many people left Minnesota for Florida due to Walz’s leadership, including his “Draconian COVID policies” that included “a snitch line” for people to call the police on neighbors not following COVID-19 protocols.
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Ahead of the 2024 election, Noem called for former President Donald Trump to return to the White House, arguing “he let me do my job” as governor.
Newly released polling data indicate Harris is ahead of the former president among registered voters, with Harris netting 50% of support against Trump’s 46% of support. The vice president’s lead widens slightly when looking at likely voters, where she has 52% of support.