Orlando, Florida – South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem, a Republican who has remarkably never shut down her state’s economy or aspects of her citizens’ social life, tore up New York Governor Cuomo as a darling of the ironic media and Dr. Anthony Fauci as chronically proved wrong in his prescriptions and predictions – during Saturday’s final speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference.
Noem recalled being routinely criticized by the press and some Democrats as “misinformed, reckless and even a ‘denier’.
“Some even claimed that South Dakota is ‘the worst that can happen anywhere in the world’ when it comes to COVID-19 – that’s a lie,” she said.
“The media did all this while praising the governors who issued blockades, mandatory masks and closed companies – applauding them for taking the ‘right’ steps to mitigate the spread of the virus.”
Noem then recalled an appearance in November 2020 on ABC News’ “This Week”, where presenter George Stephanopoulos asked previous guest Cuomo to offer advice to Noem, who adopted the reverse tact in blockades than governors like the New York Democrat and others who enacted strict enforcement mechanisms.
“[Stephanopoulos] asked Cuomo to give me advice on how to deal with COVID. Now it seems like a good time to remind everyone of what Governor Cuomo was doing in New York, “she noted, plunging briefly into the details of the nursing home scandal that is now running in Albany.
She noted how, in March, the state of New York ordered COVID patients to be admitted to nursing homes before promoting legislation that prohibits lawsuits in nursing homes about COVID deaths.
“Six days after that, he banned nursing homes from sending COVID patients to the nearby Navy hospital ship or field hospital – both essentially empty.”
President Trump ordered “Comfort” in Upper New York Harbor and Reverend Franklin Graham set up a field hospital in Central Park to help Cuomo and the growing New York crisis at the time.
“Eight days after that, the first deaths started to appear,” said Noem.
Proceeding to attack Fauci, who served on the coronavirus task force of Trump and President Joe Biden, and currently leads the efforts of the latter, Noem said the NIH doctor routinely offered wrong guidance and predictions.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APPLICATION
“In South Dakota, I provided all the information we had to our people and I trusted to make the best decisions for themselves [on how to prevent the spread of the virus] for their families and, in turn, their communities, “she said.
“We never focused on case numbers. Instead, we kept an eye on the hospital’s capacity. Now, Dr. Fauci, he told me that on my worst day I would have ten thousand patients in the hospital on our worst day, we had a little more than six hundred. “
“I don’t know if you agree with me, but Dr. Fauci is very wrong.”
Seen as a rising star in the Trump-era GOP, Noem noted during her speech that, while disappointed by the outcome of the 2020 elections, she acknowledges that the GOP has experienced worse losses and has recovered.
She pointed to the 1964 presidential election, where Conservative Senator Barry Goldwater, R-Ariz., Suffered a crushing defeat for incumbent President Lyndon B. Johnson – who won 486 electoral votes.
Goldwater came out of that race winning only his home state and most of the Deep South, excluding Florida.
She said the conservative movement, which many see as having been Goldwater’s first headline, later saw “incredible innovation” after the loss of landslide in 1964.
“It required the creation of many institutions, including the American Conservative Union, the National Right to Life, the Heritage Foundation, the Manhattan Institute, the Concerned Women for America, the Federalist Society, the Family Research Council and, among others, many changes hearts and to change minds, “she said.
“It was institutions like these that helped bring the Reagan Revolution and bring American exceptionalism back. Your work is more important today than ever.”