Kristi Noem, the governor of South Dakota, displayed the efficiency of the flamethrower that her staff had given her for Christmas by setting a stack of cardboard boxes fire while she delighted in her new holiday toy.
Noem was prepared for the weather in an army-fatigue uniform (pants and matching jacket) and a hat as she stood outdoors on what looked to be her property on Christmas day while a pile of boxes burned to a char.
In one of the video clips, she is seen clutching a handheld gadget while posing with her husband, Byron Noem.
The 51-year-old married mother of three is South Dakota’s 33rd governor. Since she became the state’s first female governor in January 2019, she has been viewed as a rising star and a possible future presidential candidate.
When she ran for government in 2018, the then-president Donald Trump endorsed the Republican official.
Noem was wearing an army-fatigue outfit – pants and a matching jacket – with a hat as she stood on her property on Christmas Day, playing with her new holiday toy.
She proves its effectiveness by setting fire to a stack of cardboard boxes and exclaiming, “Perfect!”
Noem and her brothers were raised in Watertown, South Dakota on the family ranch and farm in Hamlin County, which as of the 2020 census has a population of around 6,614 people.
Her father was killed in a farm equipment accident in 1994. Noem revealed to The Washington Examiner that she discovered a tape recorder in her father’s truck that provided her with the answers she required, and at the age of 22 she assumed control of the family business.
A few months after the demise of her father, she had the bravery to clean out his pickup truck.
If you know a farmer or rancher, you know that they frequently live in their pickups. Everything of value can be found in the taxi,’ Noem tweeted in March 2021 when discussing the catastrophe.
The discovery of the first tape led to the discovery of over a dozen more.
She wrote, “My eyes started to fill with tears.” I placed them one by one in the tape recorder and listened to my father discuss agricultural decisions, soil kinds, cows, weather, markets, and what to do in the event of a financial crisis.
Noem, who described her father as “the hardest worker I’ve ever known,” stated that hearing his voice on the records “changed everything” and spurred her to run for government.
She wrote in part: “He led by example and deed.” I decided that day to be like my father: a person of both words and deeds, because both are important.
I am dedicated to serve the citizens of this beautiful state in both words and deeds. I will keep my word, and I will always let you know what I am doing.
Eventually, she added a hunting lodge and restaurant to the family property, and her siblings returned to assist in expanding the businesses.
A 1990 graduate of Hamlin High School, she was named the Snow Queen of South Dakota. She attended Northern State University from 1990 to 1994, but left to help run the family farm after her father’s death.
She attended Mount Marty College’s Watertown campus and South Dakota State University. Additionally, she attended online classes at the University of South Dakota.
In 2006, Noem was elected to represent the 6th district in the South Dakota House of Representatives as a Republican, and she was again in 2008.
During her second term, which spanned from 2007 to 2010, she served as assistant majority leader.
During her time in office, Noem was the primary sponsor of eleven laws, including a number of property tax improvements and two acts to expand gun rights in South Dakota.
She was vice chair of the Agriculture Land Assessment Advisory Task Force in 2009. The work committee was led by Senator Larry Rhoden, who eventually served as her lieutenant governor.
In 2012, while serving in Congress, she finished her degree in political science at SDSU.
Photograph of Governor Kristi Noem with her husband Byron Noem and her new flamethrower.
Tuesday, December 6, 2022, in the House Chambers of the State Capitol in Pierre, South Dakota, Governor Kristi Noem will deliver her budget address for fiscal year 2024.
Kristi Noem tweeted on June 29, 2022, “In South Dakota, we never back down from a challenge and refuse to allow fear to rob us of our liberty. Therefore, mount up because here, liberty runs FREE.’ The tweet received almost 68,000 views.
The book “Not My First Rodeo: Lessons Learned From the Heartland” was published by Noem in June.
In the book, she discusses her upbringing on a farm in rural America, her time in Congress, her leadership amid a global pandemic, and the impact of her father. She wrote a phrase her father would frequently say to her: “We don’t whine, Kristi.” We repair them.’
Flamethrowers are available in a variety of shapes and sizes, with prices ranging from $50 to the hundreds.
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