WATCH: Kristi Noem Spars With Newsmax Host Over Debunked Claim She Met With Kim Jung Un in Memoir
Noem faced backlash over writing about killing her 14-month-old puppy in the memoir.
May 7 2024, Published 3:30 p.m. ET
Newsmax host Rob Finnerty grilled South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem over the false claim she met North Korean dictator Kim Jung Un included in her new memoir, RadarOnline.com has learned.
Finnerty sparred with Noem over claims made in her book, No Going Back: The Truth on What's Wrong with Politics — and doubted her political future due to recent backlash sparked by the memoir.
South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem was the subject of a scathing comedic rant on Fox News after she reportedly cancelled an interview at the last minute.
Noem appeared on Tuesday morning's edition of Wake Up America, where she got into a heated exchange with Finnerty over discrepancies in her memoir.
Finnerty doubted the governor's political future as he claimed "part of the problem with politics today is that politicians aren't honest with the American people."
Finnerty doubted Noem's political future due to backlash sparked by the memoir.
"If you asked me a month ago who's at the top of the list to run with Donald Trump, I would've said your name. If you asked me that same question this morning, I don't even think you're on the list," Finnerty told the controversial governor.
"Really? And why is that?" Noem quipped back.
"It's because of things that came out in this book, like your claims that you met Kim Jong Un," Finnerty fired back, referring to her alleging she met with the North Korean dictator while in Congress.
"I've been to the [demilitarization zone]," Noem argued.
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Trump oddly defended Noem amid ongoing controversy over her killing her family's 14-month-old dog.
"I've been to the DMZ, I've been to the area. What I've said is Kim Jong Un–" Noem attempted to explain before the Newsmax host interrupted, "Did you stare down Kim Jong Un?"
Finnerty pressed Noem further, "Governor, one second, I'll give you the opportunity to respond, I just want to get this out there. So here's the quote from the book. You say that, 'I remember when I met North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un. I'm sure he underestimated me, having no clue about my experience staring down little tyrants.' Governor, that never happened, did it?"
Trump seemingly blamed a ghostwriter for the controversial story.
Under pressure, Noem relented and agreed that the false anecdote shouldn't have been included in her memoir — and noted her editor advised against it — but refused to confess to not meeting the dictator.
"What I have said in the book is that when I became aware of the content that we had it changed," Noem said. "And that's the way that it is, so I should not have put that anecdote in the book. I'm not going to talk about my meetings."
Finnerty refused to let the topic go and reiterated what the anecdote falsely represented, "But an anecdote indicates that it happened, right?"
"I'm not going to talk about my conversations with world leaders," Noem fired back. "I've been involved in policy for 30 years, for 30 years I've been traveling the world talking to world leaders, and that's a conversation that I'm not going to have in this book."
Noem claimed she had been "very forthright" and that "a typical politician wouldn't be that honest."
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