South Dakota Gov Kristi Noem mocked as she's barred from entering 20% of state amid tribal conflict

WASHINGTON, DC: Gov Kristi Noem of South Dakota has been barred from entering over 20% of her state following expulsion by two more tribes this week, stemming from comments she made about tribal leaders allegedly benefiting drug cartels earlier this year, according to AP News.

In the wake of criticism over her account of euthanizing a misbehaving hunting dog in her latest book, Gov Noem faces fresh developments in the ongoing tribal conflict.

Given the uncertainty surrounding Donald Trump's potential response, it remains unclear how these issues might impact her chances of being chosen as his running mate.

Kristi Noem gets banned from entering 20 percent of her own state

Just days after the Sisseton-Wahpeton Ovate tribe made a similar decision, the Yankton Sioux Tribe on Friday, May 10, chose to ban Gov. Noem from their territory in southeast South Dakota.

The Oglala, Rosebud, Cheyenne River, and Standing Rock Sioux tribes have already implemented measures to prevent Gov Noem from entering their reservations. However, she has not yet been banned by three other tribes.

Notably, when Noem stated in public in March that tribal leaders supported drug cartels on their reservations while ignoring the needs of the underprivileged and children, it furthered the rifts between the tribes and the rest of the state.

Noem said at a forum, "We’ve got some tribal leaders that I believe are personally benefiting from the cartels being there, and that’s why they attack me every day. But I’m going to fight for the people who actually live in those situations, who call me and text me every day and say, 'Please, dear governor, please come help us in Pine Ridge. We are scared.'"

Noem made a post on X on Thursday, May 9, stating, "Tribal leaders should take action to ban the cartels from their lands and accept my offer to help them restore law and order to their communities while protecting their sovereignty. We can only do this through partnerships because the Biden Administration is failing to do their job."

The tribes and Noem have previously clashed on various issues, such as the Standing Rock protests in 2016 and the establishment of COVID-19 checkpoints at reservation borders during the pandemic to restrict unnecessary visits.

Following the protest disagreement in 2019, she faced a temporary restriction from entering the Oglala Sioux reservation.

Internet trolls Noem as she gets banned from entering 20 percent of her own state

Many internet users mocked Kristi Noem as she faced travel restrictions across over 20 percent of her state after being expelled by two additional tribes.

A user posted on X, "She’s phony and truth has caught up to her," while one added, "She should be banned from South Dakota full stop."

A person also wrote, "Good. She should be banned from the United States as a whole," whereas one mentioned, "About time SD figues out this sham of a governor."

A user also commented, "She will kill their horses next, after she kills their dogs. Then, she will move on to claim their land as hers and...... oh wait..." [sic]

This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.