South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, who has former President Donald Trump's endorsement for her reelection bid, tells Newsmax she is not looking at a 2024 bid for the White House, as she is more interested in staying in her state.
"I'm running for reelection as governor," the Republican governor said on Newsmax's "Rob Schmitt Tonight" Tuesday. "I'm hoping that people here will continue to support me for that position. And frankly, I think there's probably a lot of people that are out there running for president. I'm interested in staying right here at home."
Trump released his endorsement through his Save America PAC earlier in the day, commending Noem for being a strong leader who "is a fighter for the incredible people of South Dakota."
The governor called the endorsement "wonderful" and said she appreciates Trump for supporting her.
"He and I worked very closely together when I was in Congress on tax reform for almost two years, and his policies were incredible for our state of South Dakota," said Noem. "It always means a lot to me to know that he supports me, and the people in South Dakota that love him and support him appreciate it as well."
Noem also defended her state's recently signed transgender athlete ban law, which has come under fire for its requirement that school sports must be organized according to the biological sex of the athletes.
The law's opponents say the measure provides more ways to discriminate against LGBTQ students, but Noem said that contention is wrong.
"It's about fairness for girls that they have the opportunity to compete to be successful, to play sports and go on and earn college scholarships and perhaps even be professionals," said Noem. "What this is about is making sure that they have a level playing field and protecting Title IX, which was established in this country many years ago."
South Dakota's law is set to take effect on July 1, but the Department of Justice is expected to challenge it, and Noem said her administration is prepared to fight.
"Last year we had a debate on a piece of legislation that had some flaws that we recognized needed to be fixed," she said. "That's why we did executive orders that have been in place ever since over a year ago. Now this bill is the strongest in the nation. I'm certain that we can defend this in court and win and make sure that our girls have a level playing field."
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