Governor Larry Rhoden is campaigning on leadership as the issue that separates him from his primary challengers. Yet he refuses to acknowledge that Kristi Noem’s poor leadership got her fired from the Department of Homeland Security. Instead, he blames her firing on circumstances—
When asked about the News Watch/Chiesman Center poll last month that showed a majority of South Dakotans disapproved of Noem’s job as DHS secretary and approved of Trump’s decision to fire her, Rhoden defended her.
“She was the victim of some unfortunate incidents that took place,” he said [Alexander Rifaat, “Larry Rhoden: The Incumbent,” South Dakota News Watch, 2026.05.29].
—and Trump:
Rhoden called Noem “smart” and said that in discussions with her it was apparent she knew what she was getting into.
“In Trump’s first term, he went through five different secretaries of Homeland Security. She probably wasn’t expecting to stay there all four years given all the turmoil,” Rhoden said [Rifaat, 2026.05.29].
Sure, Larry. Kristi broke FEMA, demoralized staff, handed out disaster cash to political donors, slandered the innocent American citizens her ICE goons murdered, bought two luxury jets for her excessive travels with taxpayer dollars, hired unqualified cronies, mishandled contracts, and lied to Congress. She couldn’t even take enough time out from plastering pictures of herself everywhere to bring a job-creating Indian police academy to South Dakota, an opportunity on which Interior Secretary pounced for his home folks in North Dakota. But none of that reflects on Noem’s poor leadership; external factors cost “smart” Kristi her job.
Kristi Noem was not a victim of circumstances or of Trump’s chaos; she created the dire circumstances that led Trump to make one of his rare good decisions.
Kristi Noem got fired because her leadership stunk. If Larry Rhoden really were an exemplary leader, he could admit that plain fact.