Maybe Kristi Noem doesn't want to be Trump's vice president

Kristi Noem is widely thought to be in contention to be Donald Trump's running mate. But she keeps shooting herself in the foot.

• South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem keeps hurting her chances to become Donald Trump's running mate.
• Two of the former presidents key allies trashed Noem recently.
• They were responding to how Noem disclosed in her memoir that she killed her own doh.

South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem has campaigned so badly to be former President Donald Trump's vice president that even some of the most controversial Trumpworld figures are turned off.

It turns out that telling the world you killed your dog, as Noem does in her forthcoming memoir, is not the best political strategy.

"I've always been a strong advocate of a woman as VP, because I think you have some strong women — although maybe Kristi Noem is maybe a little too based," former White House strategist Steve Bannon told Donald Trump Jr. on Trump's "Triggered" show.

"Shooting the puppy in the gravel," Bannon added, struggling not to laugh.

Yes, even Bannon, who has embraced the honey badger as an avatar for his ruthlessness, thinks Noem went too far. Trump Jr. echoed his thoughts.

"Not ideal," Trump Jr. said. "I read that and I'm like, 'Who put that in the book?' Your ghost writer must really not like you, if they are going to include that one. That was rough."

Noem has defended her decision to kill Cricket, a 14-month-old dog that she struggled to train to hunt pheasants. She wrote in the book, which was first reported by The Guardian, that she "hated that dog." A final struggle, which included Cricket mauling some chickens, proved to be it. Noem wrote that shortly after, she grabbed her gun, led the dog down a gravel pit, and then killed it.

"Whether running the ranch or in politics, I have never passed on my responsibilities to anyone else to handle," Noem wrote on X. "Even if it's hard and painful. I followed the law and was being a responsible parent, dog owner, and neighbor."

Democrats have had a field day. Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz encouraged people to post photos of them not killing their dogs. One House GOP lawmaker said the anecdote and Noem's disclosure of it herself were enough to rule the South Dakotan out of contention to be Trump's running mate.

"The worst part of it is that it wasn't a hit job. She volunteered the information. So, when somebody tells you who they are, believe them," Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, a New York Republican, told Politico.

If Noem truly wants to be vice president, this has been one of the worst efforts to obtain the job.

Previously, she caused a minor scandal by bizarrely touting services she received from a Texas dentist. Noem was already facing more traditional scandal fare, such as a 2022 legislative report that found her daughter received special treatment when she applied for a real estate appraising license. Gov. Noem has repeatedly denied such treatment, but the report makes it transparent that it did happen.

It's a difficult balance trying to become vice president.

No one wants to appear over-eager for the job, which comes off as desperate at best. At worst, a potential vice president could lose all the leverage to shape the role in a way that would benefit him or her the most. Modern vice presidents want a partnership like President Joe Biden shared with Barack Obama. No one wants to relive historical complaints about the No. 2 role, such as future President Harry Truman, who, during his brief vice presidency, barely even saw FDR. The ultimate goal, after all, is to claim the presidency itself after eight years as an understudy.

In comparison to Noem, others on Trump's shortlist are behaving much more in line with tradition.

Sen. JD Vance, an Ohio Republican, will reportedly appear at a major fundraiser for Trump. Sen. Marco Rubio, a former 2016 GOP primary rival, is reportedly willing to move to settle a potential dispute over living in the same state as Trump. North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, who briefly ran against Trump in the most recent primary, has defended the former president on cable TV. Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina, also a brief 2024 primary challenger, stoked speculation with his comments to the Wall Street Journal.

Noem is scheduled to appear at a big fundraiser with many other veepstakes contenders, but this appears to a the rare exception to how she's handling her chances. Her recent moves are reminiscent of fictional TV characters like George Costanza and Saul Goodman, who purposely tried to get fired from their jobs (only Saul was successful). But she actually needs this. As a term-limited governor, Noem will have to find some way to further her career, which also includes time in the state legislature and Congress.

It really is an honor just to be nominated, or in this case, to receive coverage about becoming a running mate. Biden tasked his team with ensuring all the finalists on his shortlist experienced it as a boost, as former Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti told The New York Times. It worked. Rep. Karen Bass is now mayor of Los Angeles, former UN Ambassador Susan Rice has a top post in Biden's White House, and Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has a book deal and boosted presidential speculation of her own. Some, such as Sen. Elizabeth Warren, already had a national profile. But at the very least, it certainly wasn't a drag on their careers.

Noem's actions have made her future a lot less promising. And as South Dakota's newspaper put it, "There may be no coming back from the immediate damage to Noem's political career."

That dog just won't hunt.