I was expecting to see lots of pix this weekend of Governor Larry Rhoden shaking hands with Donald Trump, greeting the Dear Republican Leader at Ellsworth Air Force Base, introducing him to the crowd at Mount Rushmore, and gazing up beside him from the VIP seats at the bombs bursting in air over the great granite faces.
But Rhoden, who faces a Republican runoff in three weeks against Trump desperately-wannabe Toby Doeden, appears not to have captured any such powerful cult-of-personaliuty imagery with Il Duce on Friday. South Dakota Searchlight and Rapid City Journal show Senator John Thune was the only dignitary greeting Trump at Ellsworth. (In 2020, Governor Kristi Noem joined Thune in greeting Trump at the air base, made darn sure she got on the helicopter with Trump for the ride to Rushmore, and then flew back to Washington with Trump on Air Force One.) The TV coverage didn’t show Rhoden and Trump sitting together at the event; instead, it appears the speakers hid backstage. Rhoden didn’t even get to speak next to or introduce Trump. After walking on to the theme from Rawhide and issuing eight minutes of platitudes, Governor Rhoden had to yield the best stage in South Dakota to a North Dakotan, former Governor and now Interior Secretary Doug Burgum. Burgum didn’t get to introduce Trump, either: the Secretary was blasted offstage with Laura Branigan’s “Gloria”, which played in full over an empty stage, four minutes of awkwardly nonpatriotic Trump-subversive lyrics (You really don’t remember… all the voices in your head… marry for the money, take a lover in the afternoon, feel your innocence slipping away, don’t believe it’s coming back soon…) until Trump came on to drone his drivel. 30 minutes later, Trump walked off alone, the fireworks went up, and we got no images of Rhoden basking in the red glow from above or the orange glow at his side.
Governor Rhoden invited Sioux Falls photog Michael Woolheater to document the July 3 Mount Rushmore event. Woolheater snapped Rhoden with Sean Hannity, Rhoden with Burgum, Rhoden with umbrella and hat, Rhoden with umbrella but no hat, Rhoden’s hand with Marty Jackley and Mike Rounds, Rhoden stridingly purposefully through the rain with (I’m guessing) Air Force dudes… but not one shot of Rhoden with Trump, or Trump with anybody. The only time Rhoden and Trump appeared in the same frame may be the video Rhoden posted of himself on the ground watching Trump fly by in the wasteful and less secure Qatar Force One.
Larry, Larry, Larry: how do you, the Governor of South Dakota, and a candidate facing a hard Republican primary/runoff challenge, let the Republican President of the United States touch down and make a speech in South Dakota and not get your picture taken at his side as he beams his endorseful love on your grateful face?