Things got tense during South Dakota Republican Governor Kristi Noem's appearance on Newsmax after host Rob Finnerty got into a heated back and forth with her about her chances of being former President Donald Trump's vice presidential pick after falsely claiming she'd had an encounter with North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un.
The interview took place amid controversy over Noem's admission in her new book No Going Back that she killed her "untrainable" 14-month-old puppy, Cricket, because it wasn't good at hunting and was too excitable.
And during her contentious exchange with Finnerty, she declined to discuss her private meetings with world leaders despite telling reporters over the weekend that the passage about her alleged meeting with Kim Jong Un should have been omitted from the book.
You can watch the awkward exchange in the video below.
After Noem said she would not discuss her private meetings, Finnerty said:
"I agree with you there but going back to what you said a moment ago, maybe not lying to the American people, and I think this is important to talk about because the book is called 'No Going Back: The Truth on What's Wrong with Politics,' and I think part of the problem with politics today is that politicians aren't honest with the American people."
"So if, governor, if you asked me a month ago who's at the top of the list to run with Donald Trump, I would have said your name. If you asked me that same question this morning, I don't even think you're on the list."
After Noem asked him to elaborate further, Finnerty pivoted to discussing her alleged meeting with the North Korean dictator:
"So my question for you â yes, really â and it's because of things that have come out in this book, like your claims that you met Kim Jong Un."
Noem responded:
"I've been to the DMZ [demilitarlized zone], I've been to the area. What I've said is Kim Jong Un ..."
But Finnerty pressed further:
"Did you stare down Kim Jong Un? Governor, one second, I'll give you the opportunity to respond, I just want to get this out there."
"So here's the quote from the book. You say that, 'I remember when I met North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un. I'm sure he underestimated me, having no clue about my experience staring down little tyrants.' Governor, that never happened, did it?"
Noem agreed that the anecdote should not have been included in the book but nonetheless declined to answer the question directly:
"What I have said in the book is that when I became aware of the content that we had it changed, and that's the way that it is, so I should not have put that anecdote in the book. I'm not going to talk about my meetings." ...
"I'm not going to talk about my conversations with world leaders. I've been involved in policy for 30 years, for 30 years I've been traveling the world talking to world leaders, and that's a conversation that I'm not going to have in this book."
"I've answered that in other interviews already. I've been very forthright, and I think that a typical politician wouldn't be that honest."
But Finnerty wasn't satisfied:
"I'm asking if the meeting actually happened. I don't think it did, and I think if it did, you'd be able to confirm for me that yes, it did, and here's when it happened, it happened, say at such-and-such a date or a month, or you don't have to be specific."
After Noem asserted she would not discuss the matter, Finnerty insisted she should answer the question, to which she answered:
"I don't think so."
And once Finnerty suggested that Noem's controversies could be problematic for Trump if she were chosen as his running mate, she dismissed the idea, indicating she did not believe it would be an issue:
"The thing that's very interesting to me is the only person who will decide is Donald Trump. He will decide and he knows that I think he should pick the person that will help him win that. That is my one parameter."
"When he was in the White House, I was on offense every day. I got to solve problems for the people of South Dakota. I got to, you know, think out of the box and be innovative. Now, with Joe Biden in the White House, all I am is on defense."
"So I will tell you that the one thing that President Trump knows for a fact is that I want him to win and that I want him to pick the person that will help him win because America needs him back in the White House."
Noem was mercilessly criticized after the clip of her appearance went viral.
The media storm around Noem has threatened her viability as a potential running mate for Trump. Political prognosticators believe her particular admission about killing her dog and the resulting bipartisan outrage have essentially torpedoed her chances of being Trump's running mate.
Noem has pushed back against criticism, saying that she is not one to "shy away" from tough challenges. She added that she hopes those who read her book "will have an understanding that I always work to make the best decisions I can for the people in my life." But Noem certainly doesn't seem to want to talk about the puppy killing anecdote, as she chided Fox Business host Stuart Varney on Tuesday when he continued to ask about it.
But even those in Trump's orbit have spoken out against her. Trump's eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., said Noem's admission was "not ideal" and suggested that Noem's "ghost writer must really not like you if they're gonna include that one."
Similarly, Steve Bannon, Trump's former White House chief strategist, said Noem had gone too far even for right-wingers and that Trump has other potential running mates to choose from.
