It might be the strangest thing ever admitted by a politician. Both Democrats and Republicans are criticizing South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem after she disclosed in her forthcoming memoir that she euthanized her healthy 14-month-old puppy, Cricket, citing the dog’s purported misbehavior.
If that wasn’t weird enough, she allegedly did it thinking that the admission would impress former Donald Trump so much that he’d make her vice president.
Politico discussed the strange revelation.
In her new memoir, Noem writes that she unsuccessfully tried to channel Cricket’s puppy energy into hunting pheasant. Instead, Cricket went “out of her mind with excitement, chasing all those birds and having the time of her life.” On the way home from hunting, Noem writes, the dog escaped her truck and attacked a local family’s chickens, behaving “like an untrainable assassin.”
Noem says she led the wirehaired pointer to a gravel pit and ended its life.
“We love animals, but tough decisions like this happen all the time on a farm,” Noem tweeted after the story had already gone viral.
According to The Guardian, Noem relayed the grisly story to illustrate her willingness to do “difficult, messy and ugly” things when necessary. Instead, the story has prompted pushback from Republicans and Democrats alike.
Outside of the mockery she has received, the South Dakota governor has also seen the betting odds on her vice presidency plummet following the story.
According to Newsweek, “Polymarket, a platform where users can place “yes” or “no” bets on the likelihood of world events, is currently giving Noem a 3 percent chance of potentially being the next Republican vice president.
On Friday, Noem was given a 5 percent chance of being selected as Trump’s next running mate, down from 10 percent the previous day. On March 25, Polymarket was listing Noem as the second favorite with 9 percent chance, behind South Carolina Senator Tim Scott on 22 percent.
Noem, New York congresswoman Elise Stefanik and Ohio Senator J.D. Vance have long been considered front-runners for the role of Trump’s next running mate. The latest Polymarket odds show Scott in the lead with a 22 percent chance among named candidates, followed by Stefanik on 9 percent, with Vance and Trump’s former GOP primary rival Nikki Haley both given 6 percent.”
Trump has included Noem and six other candidates as part of his “shortlist” for vice presidential consideration.
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