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South Dakota Republican Governor Kristi Noem is being dragged on the internet again, this time for an inflammatory Independence Day tweet that wasn't quite what it appeared to be.
Noem attempted to troll President Joe Biden by posting pictures of herself and her family frowning theatrically under a photo of fireworks at Mount Rushmore—known as Tȟuŋkášila Šákpe Paha before the land was illegally seized and the name changed. The area belongs to the Oceti Sakowin according to the 1868 Treaty of Fort Laramie which has been reaffirmed by the Supreme Court.
Noem's image included the caption:
"'Trump's America' ⬆️ 'Joe Biden's America' ⬇️"
The arrow indicated fireworks at Mount Rushmore were "Trump's America" while her pouting family were "Joe Biden's America."
The GOP governor added the hashtag #SparklersSuck.
#SparklersSuck https://t.co/s45iB7eWrU— Kristi Noem (@Kristi Noem) 1625482816.0
It soon came to light the fireworks were, in fact, from "Obama & Biden's America," as the photo had been taken during their administration when Biden was Vice President.
@KristiNoem Here's a fun fact about that "Trump's America" fireworks photo: It's actually a composite image, made… https://t.co/cndmd7OTSa— Kendall Youens (@Kendall Youens) 1625494545.0
The image was a composite photo made by photographer Matt Halvorsen and posted to his website in 2015.
At that time, Halvorsen said the photos had been taken "a few years ago."
@KristiNoem Much like the land Mount Rushmore was built on, Gov. Noem’s fireworks photo was stolen. https://t.co/axLGhj1Fyq— Kendall Youens (@Kendall Youens) 1625496078.0
@KristiNoem Another fun fact about Gov. Noem's "Trump's America" fireworks photo: I checked the website code for t… https://t.co/gnkjn7J9h7— Kendall Youens (@Kendall Youens) 1625497453.0
It appears the image that Kristi Noem used as an example of the Fourth of July in "Trump's America" was taken durin… https://t.co/LnCA4btE1z— Ben Jacobs (@Ben Jacobs) 1625526560.0
Several people chastised Noem for removing the photographer's credit from the image before attempting to pass it off as a more recent photo.
@kendallybrown @KristiNoem Wow, great work! And Governor, putting all politics aside, it is inexcusable to remove t… https://t.co/8aCP8Xj9yg— neil turkewitz (@neil turkewitz) 1625502269.0
@evenbev @Bencjacobs Of course she did...rules are for the little people— Cloud (@Cloud) 1625536337.0
@Jennanjack @Bencjacobs She should be sued for copyright infringement since she purposefully edited out the photographer’s watermark.— Krys10iam (@Krys10iam) 1625528624.0
Many people also goaded Noem with photos and notes about fireworks displays in other parts of "Biden's America."
@KristiNoem Wow @KristiNoem check out these 555 ft 'sparklers' as tall as the Washington Monument me and thousands… https://t.co/Z27wlOJdV3— Maria de los Angeles (@Maria de los Angeles) 1625503888.0
We had fireworks in NewYork Kristi. And over 70% of us are vaccinated. Maybe you’re just bad at your job.— Chris Hahn (@Chris Hahn) 1625504133.0
@DianaOur3angels @ChristopherHahn We had fireworks in Charlotte! Noem is just a taller Boebert.— MaDukes 🇺🇸 (@MaDukes 🇺🇸) 1625524466.0
@ChristopherHahn Yes why doesn’t she just “pull herself up by her bootstraps” and stop waiting for “hand outs” from… https://t.co/sqzLVVSCwN— Take the Shot (@Take the Shot) 1625515374.0
Noem is likely upset the fireworks at the national monument have been stopped again due to risk of fire and damage to Indigenous unceded lands. The yearly pyrotechnics display had been discontinued in 2010, but was brought back in 2020 by former President Donald Trump.
Her request to hold the fireworks display this year was denied by the National Park Service due to continued safety concerns.
The request, and Noem's subsequent lawsuit, also faced backlash from local tribal leadership.
Court documents show Steve Vance, historic preservation officer for the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe, said of the request:
"The fact that this event could be forced upon us in our sacred lands despite our clear opposition to the event traumatizes us as a people and inflicts grief upon us. To us, allowing this event to occur again is a colonial attack on one of our most sacred places."