South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem's new biography to be released on Tuesday will be revised to remove a false anecdote about her meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, a spokeswoman for Noem said on Tuesday. Announced on the day. Friday.
Noem, who has been widely talked about as former President Donald J. Trump's running mate, already last week defended chilling excerpts from her book about the murder of her dog.
Noem's new book also includes errors about when the phone call with Nikki Haley took place. Ian Furey, Noem's communications director, said this will be corrected in future editions of the book.
“We have discovered two minor errors in the upcoming publication of 'No Going Back,'” Fury said. “This matter was passed on to the ghostwriter and editor. Kim Jong Un was included in the list of world leaders, but he should not have been included.”
In the book, which was obtained by The New York Times ahead of its official publication on May 7, Noem talks about her meeting with Kim while writing about her eight years in Congress as South Dakota's only lawmaker. mentioned. A passage about her role as a member of the House Armed Services Committee.
“I have traveled to many countries and met with world leaders, some of whom asked for our help and others who did not,” Noem wrote. “I remember meeting Kim Jong-un, the North Korean dictator. I'm sure he underestimated me. He had no clue about my experience staring down petty tyrants. (I was a children's pastor). Dealing with foreign leaders requires determination, preparation, and determination.”
Fury did not respond to a question about who, if not Kim, Noem was referring to.
Noem said she had a conversation with Haley, the former South Carolina governor who withdrew from the Republican presidential primary in March, in which Haley threatened her because the two were prominent Republican women. It suggests.
Noem said the call started when Haley offered to mentor her during her first term as South Dakota governor, and then said, But if I hear something bad, I'll definitely let you know. It was fun talking with you. I will visit you soon. Goodbye. “
Recounting her conversation with her secretary, Noem wrote that she said: It was clear that she wanted me to know that there was room for just one Republican woman in the spotlight. That was strange. ”
Haley's spokeswoman Cheney Denton said Noem's story is inaccurate.
“Nikki has long supported other women by making phone calls and writing notes when they were going through difficult times,” Denton said in a statement. “When she was criticized in 2020 for keeping the state open during COVID-19, she called Governor Noem to give her encouragement. It's really strange that they would twist it into a threat.”
Future editions of the book will update the chronology to reveal that Noem spoke with Nikki Haley in 2020 and met in 2021. Fury did not specify any other changes to the anecdote. The line of the call was, “I'm the alpha female here. You should know your place.” She also wrote of Haley that “she actually made me feel a little sad for her.”
The memoir appears to be intended to raise Noem's profile as Trump nears choosing his running mate, and is an attempt to highlight her sincerity as a Trump supporter.
In a speech the day after the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol, she defended Trump “despite the fact that what happened on Jan. 6 was undeniably ugly.” I'm proud of it.
But much of the attention so far has focused on the shooting of his dog, Cricket, to torment his daughter. Noem appeared on Fox News, hosted by Sean Hannity, on Wednesday to defend her actions and explain the “tough and challenging decisions I've had to make throughout my life.” He said he included the story in a book.