Kristi Noem, Trump VP contender, suggests Biden’s dog Commander should be killed too

The governor of the US state of South Dakota who was already under fire for admitting to killing her 14-month-old dog and boasting about it in her book, is stirring up controversy once again. On Sunday (May 5), she said Commander, the United States President Joe Biden’s dog, should also suffer a similar fate as her pet Cricket.

What did she say?

The Republican governor appeared on CBS’ ‘Face the Nation’,and suggested that Commander should also have been put down.

The Biden family’s German shepherd has been banished from the White House to an undisclosed location after reports that he bit Secret Service agents on 24 separate occasions between October 2022 and July 2023.

“Joe Biden’s dog has attacked 24 Secret Service people,” Noem told interviewer, Margaret Brennan. She added, “So how many people is enough people to be attacked and dangerously hurt before you make a decision on a dog?”

Also Read |Trump VP contender, South Dakota governor Kristi Noem, defends killing her 14-month-old dog

During the interview, she also defended killing her 14-month-old dog Cricket and a goat, which according to her upcoming book she also shot the same day as “a choice I made over 20 years ago” to “protect people.”

In late April, Noem sparked outrage among Democrats and Republicans alike after she admitted to killing her dog saying that it had an “aggressive personality” and described Cricket as an “untrainable,” “dangerous,” and “less than worthless…as a hunting dog”.

The possible running mate for the presumptive Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump made a similar suggestion in her book, “No Going Back,” according to an advance copy obtained by CNN, saying that if she were president, she’d ensure Commander “was nowhere on the grounds.”

“What would I do if I was president on the first day in office in 2025? Thanks for asking. I happen to have a list. The first thing I’d do is make sure Joe Biden’s dog was nowhere on the grounds (‘Commander, say hello to Cricket for me’). But my dog, Foster, would sure be welcome. He comes with me to the capitol all the time and loves everyone,” Noem wrote in her book.

Trump ‘disgusted’ by Noem’s story

Notably, since Noem admitted to killing her 14-month-old dog she has faced criticism not only from Democrats but also people from her own party. It also seems like the story may cost her the chance of being Trump’s VP.

Also Read |US lawmakers launch 'dog lovers caucus' as Trump potential running mate 'puppy killer' Kristi Noem goes viral

A report by Rolling Stone magazine citing sources said that the former president has been “privately trashing” Noem for killing her puppy during conversations with close political allies and other confidants.

Some of the sources, according to the magazine, said they are disclosing these details because they want the South Dakota governor to be “permanently eliminated” from Trump’s vice presidential shortlist.

Others said it was simply because Trump had been talking about Noem’s story so many times it was “‘getting kind of ridiculous’ how ‘disgusted’ the former president sounded about this and how much he has been ‘taunting’ Noem behind her back,” reported the Rolling Stone.

(With inputs from agencies)