South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem
Kristi Lynn Mention Trump’s Golden Statue At CPAC Ridiculed Online Five Things To Watch At CPAC Haley Isolated After Trump Fallout MORE (R) in her address at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) Saturday praised her state’s response to the coronavirus pandemic while criticized other state leaders for taking restrictive measures to combat the virus.
Name, an ally from the past President Trump
Donald Trump Biden Holds Virtual Bilateral Meeting With Mexican President Over 300 Indicted In Connection With Capitol Riot Trump Jr .: There Are ‘Plenty’ Of Established GOP Operators That Should Be MORE Challenged, began her speech in Orlando, Florida, Saturday, stating that America needs conservatives for one reason – the year 2020.
“The question of why America needs conservatives can be answered by just naming one year, and that year is 2020,” she said. “Everyone knows we’ve gone from a bustling economy to a tragic, nationwide shutdown almost overnight,” she continued, attributing a record low unemployment rate to Trump in early 2020.
The South Dakota governor went on to say that when the pandemic hit, many states chose to implement widespread shutdowns, which, according to Noem, resulted in significant job losses, school closures and an economic downturn.
“Let me be clear now: COVID has not crushed the economy, the government has crushed the economy,” she said.
Noem added that South Dakota was the only state that never ordered “ one business or church to close, ” nor issued an order for shelter or masks, sparking applause and a standing ovation from many in the crowd. .
Noem also went for it Anthony Fauci
Anthony Fauci A dose of Pfizer vaccine provides significant protection for those who have had COVID-19: Investigate Fauci: Whatever COVID-19 vaccine is available, ‘take it’ Julia Roberts hands out the Award of Courage to Fauci: ‘You are has been a beacon for us’ MORE, the country’s top infectious disease expert, who claims it President Biden
Joe BidenHouse Democrats Pass Major .9T COVID-19 Relief Act With Minimum Wage Increase Biden Holds Virtual Bilateral Meeting With Mexican President Over 300 Indicted In Connection With Capitol Riot MOREThe chief medical advisor of “is often wrong,” a comment that also received a standing ovation from convention attendees.
“We never focused on the case numbers,” Noem explained. ‘Instead, we kept an eye on hospital capacity Dr. FauciAnthony Fauci A dose of Pfizer vaccine offers significant protection for those who have had COVID-19: Investigate Fauci: Whatever COVID-19 vaccine is available, ‘take it’ Julia Roberts hands out Award of Courage to Fauci: ‘You are a beacon for us’ MORE, he told me that on my worst day I would have 10,000 patients in the hospital. On our worst day, we had just over 600. ”
Despite Noem’s defense of her specific approach to the pandemic, South Dakota saw some of the highest per capita cases of coronavirus and deaths of any state in the US this fall, despite a relatively small population of about 884,000.
In August, the state hosted the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, which gathered nearly half a million people in a South Dakota county. The event was later linked to some outbreaks in Dakotas and surrounding states.
The state has since recovered from the surge of fall.
According to The New York Times coronavirus database The state has seen a total of more than 112,000 coronavirus infections and 1,886 deaths from the virus.
Noem hasn’t explicitly said whether she’s eyeing a 2024 bid for the White House, but her comments at CPAC may provide a sneak peek at potential talking points in a bid for the GOP’s presidential nomination.
Presidential hopefuls often speak at the meeting, giving them an opportunity to gain wide recognition and support from the faithful Republican Party.
A recent Politico / Morning Consult poll placed Noem at 1 percent among a busy race of potential 2024 contenders, with a majority saying they would support Trump himself if he ran again.
A source familiar with the matter confirmed to The Hill this week that it will a fundraising campaign for Noem’s 2022 governor campaign at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club hosted next month by Donald Trump Jr. and his girlfriend Kimberly Guilfoyle
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Noem has vocally indicated her close relationship with the former president, including late last month when she said she gave Trump a $ 1100 bust depicting the former president on Mount Rushmore last July during his controversial Independence Day visit during the pandemic.
Trump gave a speech to thousands of people during his visit, many of whom were unmasked or socially distant.
Updated at 11:33 PM