South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, a potential running mate for former President Donald J. Trump, wondered Sunday if she would have certified the 2020 election if she were in Vice President Mike Pence's shoes. refused to speak. She also dodged a question about whether she supported exceptions to the abortion ban for rape and incest.
“We can go back and keep talking about January 6th, but the fact of the matter is, that was a day that we hope will never be seen in this country again,” Noem said on CNN. “We did not do justice to our country by showing off and fighting that day. We should continue to focus on freedom and protect the Constitution. So it's not my job to speak in hypotheticals. ”
Interviewer Dana Bash pressed her on whether Pence had made a mistake in certifying the election results, but Noem again avoided a direct answer, instead pointing to Trump after January 6. He criticized Mr. Pence.
“I wasn't in Mike Pence's shoes and I don't know the information he had at the time and how he made his decisions,” she said. “I think he's a good person. I think he's let Donald Trump down since that day, because he's brought him into the White House instead of constantly criticizing and backtracking and tearing him down. Because they certainly don't realize that they need someone in the White House to advocate for them.”
When it comes to abortion, Noem supported a federal ban when she was a lawmaker, but said she now believes restrictions should be left to states. That's the position Trump took this month, but his allies are developing plans that could effectively ban abortion nationwide without a formal ban.
Trump has also expressed support for rape and incest exceptions, which are not included in South Dakota's near-total abortion ban. When asked about this, Noem tried to distance herself from her state's law, which was enacted years ago to take effect if the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. ”, he pointed out.
“My state's law was passed decades before I became governor,” she said, adding, “It may be a topic of continued discussion in South Dakota.” Our current laws allow for exceptions to save a mother's life, but it's up to the people of South Dakota to decide what their laws will be. ”
Bash didn't have a clear answer when asked what he thought South Dakota's law should be.
“I can have an opinion, I can look forward, I can look at the science and what we've learned about babies in the womb and believe that we should protect life, but I can't help but think that we should be pro-life,” he said. “I think the law is what South Dakota wants,” she said. “And they will continue to have that discussion, and I will make sure that the will of the people is carried out. I will continue to fulfill my role.”
When Ms. Bash repeated her question, Ms. Noem hinted, although she didn't say so explicitly, that she might object to the rape and incest exception.
“We have laws that say there are exceptions for mothers' lives, but I don't believe that one tragedy should perpetuate another,” she said. Another version of this statement is common among those who believe that abortion should be illegal even in cases of rape or incest.
“I believe in caring for mothers in crisis. We stand by them and do everything we can to help them before they are forced into a situation where their only option is abortion. “We believe in providing the best information possible. They have a choice,” she added.
Noem also echoed Trump's assertion that the criminal charges against him in New York, where his trial began last week, were political, and said she would support Trump even if he were convicted of a felony. I said no.
“When he was in the White House, I was on the offensive every day as governor and had to solve problems,” she said. “Now that Joe Biden is in the White House, I must protect the freedoms of the people of South Dakota. I'm trying every day to resist what they're trying to do. Yes, Donald Trump should be back in that White House. I'm going to do everything I can to help him win.”