Governor Kristi Noem of South Dakota, a rising star in the Republican party, claimed during an interview with CBN’s David Brody that during conference calls with fellow governors around the country she heard a palpable fear that she believes controlled and clouded much of their subsequent decision making.
At the 3:05 mark in the below clip, Noem addresses a question about the lockdowns we’ve seen around the country and explained why she refused to do so in South Dakota. About 90 seconds later, she discusses the palpable fear heard from other governors.
“We’ve done better than virtually any other state in the nation,” Noem said in defense of her approach, which was criticized by proponents of stricter measures. Measures, she believes, were not based on fear rather than rational or constitutional decision making.
Noem said the virus has become political, but in the early days of the response governors praised President Trump for helping them get what they needed.
She also sensed something more troubling.
“I talked with governors on conferences calls all over this country… what I heard on those conference calls was fear,” Noem explained to Brody. “I was shocked and amazed at how fear controlled people and how emotional that they were. To me it indicated that in this country we’ve lost faith. And the steadfast promise of God’s faithfulness in our life every day has real consequences. If you don’t have that in your life then your emotions and fear can control you and make you not have the discernment and wisdom you need in a time of crisis.”
Noem also discussed her plan to combat the radical left’s push to erase history, saying “While the rest of the country is tearing down monuments, we’re going to be putting them up.” Noem plans to put four statues on the capital dome to recognize the Presidents on Mount Rushmore.
Brody also interviewed Noem back in 2013 while she was in Congress, providing an inside look at her faith and life.