Kristi Noem’s time period as governor freshly roasted by former South Dakota mayor: ‘She did a Sarah Palin’ | EUROtoday

Kristi Noem’s stint as governor of South Dakota has come beneath contemporary scrutiny by a former native mayor, who stated she “did a ‘Sarah Palin’ and quit,” simply days after she was fired from her position as Homeland Security secretary.

Noem, who served as governor from 2019 to 2025, grew to become the primary cupboard member to be fired by Trump throughout his second time period.

The embarrassing dismissal got here amid rising scrutiny of her aggressive immigration operations throughout the nation, DHS’s buy of a number of luxurious jets for workers, main reductions in FEMA workers, and rumors of an affair with adviser Corey Lewandowski.

Mike Levsen, the previous mayor of Aberdeen in Noem’s dwelling state of South Dakota, says her dismissal got here as no shock given her “lack of any significant accomplishment” throughout her time as governor of the state.

“The Noem governorship covered six years — then did a ‘Sarah Palin’ and quit,” Levsen wrote in a weblog put up, evaluating Noem to the previous Alaska Gov. who resigned halfway by her first time period, citing mounting authorized charges being introduced by varied ethics investigations being introduced in opposition to her. Palin was Senator John McCain’s operating mate through the 2008 presidential election.

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“Her legacy was minimal involvement with the Legislature, frequent absences, no transparency, repeated operational screwups, soaring turnover and instances of self-dealing for herself and her family,” Levsen wrote.

Levsen criticized Noem’s Covid-era advert marketing campaign, “Freedom Works Here,” as a “Trump-based ploy that likely contributed to South Dakota’s listing high on some periodical per capita death lists.”

The marketing campaign, which tried to attract new residents to the state, price $6.5 million, and South Dakota News Watch reported on the time that there have been “hurdles” with the marketing campaign.

Levsen additionally famous Noem’s “difficult relationship” with tribal governments, as all 9 of South Dakota’s indigenous tribes voted in 2024 to ban Noem from their lands, in keeping with CNN.

“Is there a single thing in South Dakota now better as a result of her time in office?” Levsen questioned in the post.

Noem was fired by Trump amidst mounting scrutiny over fallout in Minnesota, following DHS’s disastrous Operation Metro Surge in Minneapolis, which saw two U.S. citizens shot dead in confrontations with federal agents.

Noem described the two Americans, Renee Nicole Good and Alex Pretti, as domestic terrorists. She has refused to apologize for the comments.

She also drew fierce criticism with her purchase of multiple luxury jets, a $220 million ad campaign, gutting FEMA, and her rumored affair with Lewandowski.

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The final nail in the coffin appears to have been Noem’s congressional testimony this past week, during which lawmakers from both sides of the aisle criticized her management and judgment.

A day after her second hearing, Trump wrote on Truth Social that Noem was out at DHS — and that he was nominating Oklahoma Senator Markwayne Mullin to replace her.

An administration official told NBC News that the president axed Noem due to “a culmination of her many unfortunate leadership failures, including the fallout in Minnesota, the ad campaign, the allegations of infidelity, the mismanagement of her staff, and her constant feuding with the heads of other agencies, including CBP and ICE.”

“Kristi’s drama sadly overshadowed and distracted from the Administration’s extremely popular immigration agenda, which will continue full force,” the official added.

Before she was fired, Noem defended her efficiency throughout her hearings on Capitol Hill.

She additionally drew hearth for insisting that the $220 million DHS advert marketing campaign had been launched with the president’s approval, which Trump has denied.

Days after her humiliating firing, Trump named Noem as particular envoy for “The Shield of the Americas,” a brand new safety initiative that Trump says will deal with the Western Hemisphere.