Noem fought against mask orders and encouraged a great motorcycle rally who saw hundreds of thousands of people attend. South Dakota has sometimes struggled to contain the pandemic, having seen the majority of cases and deaths per capita across states in the country, according to data compiled by The Washington Post.
Noem is making a firm commitment to the pro-Trump line among potential Republican Party contenders for 2024, many of whom spoke at CPAC. She will meet with donors in March at the Mar-a-Lago resort of former President Donald Trump in Florida, a fundraising event for his candidacy for re-election and the first fundraising event of this cycle organized by Donald Trump Jr .
In his speech on Saturday, Noem often followed Trump’s handbook, attacking Anthony Fauci, a favorite target among MAGA worshipers, saying his predictions about South Dakota’s fate with the virus were dire.
“I don’t know if you agree with me, but Dr. Fauci is very wrong,” said Noem to shrill applause. She also called media coverage of the response to coronavirus in her state “a lie”, while criticizing New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, a Democrat who was attacked for his nursing home policies.
Like many other CPAC speakers, Noem relied heavily on cultural wars, arguing that there was an “organized and coordinated campaign to remove and eliminate all references to the foundation of our nation and many other parts of our history”.
“Trying to cancel the founding generation is an attempt to cancel our own freedoms,” said Noem. “We will always remember that America is good. Freedom is better than tyranny. We are unique, we are exceptional and no American should ever apologize for that. ”
She also called for a new handbook for conservatism, saying that traditional Republican campaign issues, such as tax cuts and regulation, “are no longer good enough.”
“As conservatives, we often forget that stories are much more powerful than facts and statistics,” said Noem. “Our stories need to be told. It is the only way to inspire and motivate the American people to preserve this great country.”
In a packed package of potential candidates, Noem scored 1 percent in a recent POLITICO / Morning Consult poll on voter preference for 2024.