Gov. Kristi Noem's ascent from admitted dog killer to national watchdog is spurring howls of rage and disbelief on social media.
President-elect Donald Trump's selection of Noem, the South Dakota Republican who boasted of shooting a pet dog to death, as secretary of Homeland Security on Tuesday stunned political spectators.
"Trump wants the dog-shooter to be his Secretary of Homeland Security," author Stephen King told his followers. "We're sure not in Kansas anymore, Toto."
News broke in April that Noem's memoir "No Going Back: The Truth on What’s Wrong with Politics and How We Move America Forward" included an anecdote about shooting a 14-month-old dog named Cricket in a gravel pit because she "hated that dog."
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"The puppy-killer will be in charge of homeland security," SiriusXM radio host Michelangelo Signorile wrote on X, "making critical decisions over people's lives."
Noem will head a sprawling agency that oversees U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the U.S. Secret Service, two sources told CNN Tuesday.
"She was willing to shoot her own dog," responded USA Today columnist Michael J. Stern on X. "Imagine what she'll do to immigrants crossing the border."
The non-partisan advocacy group Veterans for Responsible Leadership argued Noem's decision to share the anecdote suggested she catered her message toward Trump loyalists alone.
"Noem never cared that we were disgusted with her dog murder," the group wrote. "We weren’t the audience."
Political analyst Russell Drew was one of many commentators to suggest Trump granted Noem the powerful position in gratitude for her support.
"With Kristi Noem head of Homeland Security, not only will people not be safe, but neither will their dogs!" wrote Drew. "Talk about being completely unqualified for a job."
"Noem, it will be recalled, scuttled her bid to become Trump’s vice presidential nominee when she published an account of how she gunned down the family pet," added John Nichols, national affairs correspondent for The Nation. "But she remained absolutely loyal to Trump and has now been tapped to keep America 'safe.'”
CNN analyst Jeff Storobinsky resorted to dark humor, writing, "All dogs, please, this is not a drill, please seek shelter immediately."
Cartoonist Adam Zyglis joined in by sharing a cartoon that depicts Noem and Trump, both toting smoking guns, next to the corpses of a dog and Lady Justice.
It is entitled "MAGA Meet-Cute."
Trump’s pick for Homeland Security Director Kristi Noem…
(cartoon from earlier this year) pic.twitter.com/ywz4StjunX
— Adam Zyglis (@adamzyglis) November 12, 2024