Noem on White House decision: ‘Why run if you can’t win?’

South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem (R) on Wednesday reaffirmed her decision not to run for president in 2024, saying no Republican can win the nomination over former President Trump. 

“The fact is, none of them can win as long as Trump’s in the race. And that’s just the facts. So why run if you can’t win,” Noem said in an interview on Fox News’s “Fox and Friends.”

“I’ve probably run 10 statewide races. I’ve won them all. I’ve never lost. If I get into a race, I’m gonna win. So that’s just how we do it. And President Trump did some great things for our state and for our country. As governor — and everybody should be grateful for this — he let me do my job. When he was president, he let me do my job, and I appreciate that,” Noem continued. “Biden doesn’t do that.”

Noem nodded to the crowded GOP presidential primary and, referring to Republican governors, said jokingly that it seems “almost all of them” are running for president.

Noem continued to praise Trump, who holds a commanding lead over his 2024 primary opponents, and hinted that she might endorse him when he visits South Dakota early next month.

Asked whether she will make an endorsement, Noem first talked about the excitement in South Dakota ahead of his rally, noting that tickets for the event sold out within the first day.

“He is inspirational. People always show up to hear something interesting,” Noem said. “And yeah, you’ll hear something from me, too.”

On whether she would accept the vice president spot if Trump tapped her as his running mate, she said, “You know, he hasn’t asked me, so we’ll cross that bridge — we’ll cross that bridge when we get to it. I don’t really answer hypotheticals.”

“He’s going to need somebody that’s a good partner that’s willing to fix this country, and it’s not going to be pretty. So we’ve got a lot to do,” Noem added.