'You made America great... Let's do it again': Noem endorses Trump at Rapid City rally

RAPID CITY — Seven months after former President Donald Trump made the announcement he would run for re-election, South Dakota’s Republican Gov. Kristi Noem backed his run Friday night.

“My message is clear. It’s an honor to have you here in South Dakota,” Noem said. “You made America great once, let’s do it again … He has my full and complete endorsement for President of the United States of America. I will do everything in my power to help him win to save this great country”

The second-term governor made the announcement moments before Trump took the stage for the Monumental Leaders Rally in Rapid City. The current GOP presidential front-runner was the guest of honor at the South Dakota Republican Party’s fundraiser. Top-tier tickets went for $2,500 a pop, and included 10 VIP tickets, a roundtable with Trump and Noem, and a photo with Trump.

Noem, a potential 2024 VP pick for Trump, has been a longtime supporter. She visited with him in Washington D.C., and he turned the tide for Noem’s first gubernatorial campaign, appearing at a fundraiser for her in Sioux Falls weeks before the 2018 election. He also endorsed her second gubernatorial campaign in January 2022, months ahead of the general election.

Friday’s rally was the first Trump has held since he was indicted by a Georgia prosecutor for allegedly trying to overturn the outcome of the 2020 Presidential Election. He has pleaded not guilty to the charges and was not in court Wednesday during his arraignment.

Tweets by Argus911

Trump now faces four different court challenges in four different jurisdictions relating to having access to classified materials at his Florida home, his attempts to overturn the 2020 Election, encouraging the Jan. 6, 2021 insurrection and sending hush money payments to a former porn star.

But during the nearly two-hour rally, Trump took shots at his indictments multiple times, calling them “fake and phony,” and that the left continued to lose credibility as more indictments were filed.

Rally seen to unite the party … maybe

Throughout the arena filled with a sold out crowd — even if there were a handful of empty seats — chants of “USA” and “Trump” echoed to an almost deafening level. Many of South Dakota’s elected constitutional offices made speeches including Public Utilities Commission commissioner Kristie Fiegen and Attorney General Marty Jackley, as well as GOP chairman Sen. John Wiik.

Wiik, who previously hailed the rally as a way to unite the GOP in South Dakota, encouraged the crowd to buck liberal policies. When Wiik came on stage, one loud boo rang out in the arena.

More: Back on the trail: Donald Trump resumes campaigning in South Dakota and Iowa after his fourth indictment

“We are much stronger when we stand together than when we stand apart … we’ve faced bigger tests before, we have proved we can come together … We’re Americans and we’re self-fulfillers,” he said, encouraging people to register as Republicans and get out to vote.

But, South Dakota’s three-man Congressional delegation, Sen. John Thune, Sen. Mike Rounds and Rep. Dusty Johnson, were not in attendance having cited previous engagements. More boos echoed in the room when images of the three men were shown.

Thune and Rounds have not endorsed Trump, instead throwing their support behind South Carolina's Sen. Tim Scott.

In Noem’s speech ahead of Trump taking the stage, she called out the critics.

"They don’t show up for you when it matters, she said. "They didn’t even show up here tonight to welcome a former President of the United States to South Dakota who cared enough to come support our state Republican Party and our great Chairman John Wiik.”

A small handful of South Dakota state lawmakers were also in attendance, including Sioux Falls Sens. Jack Kolbeck and Jim Staltzer. But, the Argus Leader did not see any of the top Senate or House Republican leadership, such as Senate Pro Temp. Lee Schoenbeck or House Majority Leader Will Mortenson.

For those in attendance like Nicole Kerkenbush, a 53-year-old healthcare executive and Army veteran, this was her second time seeing Trump speak. She had been at the 2020 rally at Mount Rushmore.

"I honestly I hope that just this helps wake up America. I think we're in a really bad place right now. I don't see that our kids have a lot of hope," the Rapid City resident said, adding she had brought her teenage daughter to the rally.

"I hope America wakes up and understands the path that we're going down and really does see that we have an opportunity to change it, but it's going to take all of us as citizens to make an impact. We can't just sit back and be quiet," she said.

Despite indictments, Trump gives traditional rally

Aside from Noem’s ringing endorsement, the rally felt like a normal Trump rally. Trump hit on familiar beats such as immigration, the war in Ukraine and more. He took time to rag on President “Crooked” Joe Biden and saying that Biden’s economic plan has driven the economy into a recession.

He spent a chunk of his appearance reminiscing on his 2020 Fourth of July speech at Mount Rushmore, calling it “historic,” and calling the people who oppose Mount Rushmore “lunatics.”

More: Marty Jackley signs Moms for Liberty pledge tied to what SPLC calls 'extremist group'

The land where Mount Rushmore sits in the Black Hills is sacred to the Oceti Sakowin Oyate and is commonly featured in calls for returning the land to the Indigenous people.

And while Trump spoke about farmers and ethanol, he tied in the state’s neighbor to the east, Iowa, at least eight times.

“I've also been an unwavering defender of ethanol, which you like right here … it's a big factor in Iowa. Your state is a big, big factor,” he said.

Noem and Trump’s relationship was also highlighted with the former president calling her one of the most successful governors in the country. Noem, in her speech introducing Trump, played with the crowd after highlighting questions she’d gotten about why Trump was invited to the state.

“Why would he waste his time in the middle of a presidential race to go to a small, insignificant state like South Dakota? Is President Trump going to pick you,” Noem paused for a moment, “as his favorite Governor?”

Noem has been rumored to be a potential 2024 vice presidential pick, after it was speculated she would run in the GOP primary. She told a Watertown radio station in May that she was focused on South Dakota. Friday’s rally served as a test for the governor who might become No. 2. And when Trump came on stage, the screen briefly flashed to “Trump-Noem 2024.”

Looking ahead to the White House, Trump continued to tout his policy ideas of ending the Biden administration border policies, ending the war in Ukraine and preventing the outbreak of World War III.

Trump closed his rally with inspirational background music playing as he highlighted what he believed to be America’s failures under Biden, such as the war in Ukraine and the botched extraction of U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan, and saying that those events would’ve never happened if he’d been president. The music looped three times before Trump finished up with the crowd standing throughout.

One woman, wrapped in a Trump 2024 flag, wiped away tears.

This article originally appeared on Sioux Falls Argus Leader: Gov. Kristi Noem endorses Trump at Rapid City rally