Trump's Reported Response To Kristi Noem's Dog Drama Was A Ruthless Joke

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This article includes discussion of animal abuse.

Donald Trump's relationship with Kristi Noem may have strained after news leaked that he had nothing but a brutal joke in response to a story that has stained her reputation. One of the most controversial cabinet picks, Secretary of Homeland Security Noem has crafted her own bad public image through her 2024 book "No Going Back: The Truth on What's Wrong with Politics and How We Move America Forward." In the memoir, the former South Dakota governor admitted to shooting and killing a new puppy her family had welcomed into their home. After the puppy showed excitable behaviors and uncontrollable traits, Noem wrote that, " ... I had to put her down" (via The Guardian). When asked about the story, Trump had little to say more than a brief jab at Noem.

The president discussed Noem's puppy story while with his eldest, Donald Trump Jr., whom he referenced in his response, detailed in the March 2025 book "Revenge: The Inside Story of Trump's Return to Power." In an early excerpt provided to The New York Post, Trump was quoted as saying, "That's not good at all," and, "Even you wouldn't kill a dog, and you kill everything." His cruel comment referred to Trump Jr.'s proclivity for hunting, while taking a swing at Noem's brutality by framing it with Trump Jr.'s own hunting boundaries. Trump's remark revealed that not even he, the head of the MAGA party to which she has been a loyal member, truly approved of her violent tale.

According to insiders in May 2024 close to the former president at the time, Kristi Noem's story spurred many conversations out of the public eye. Donald Trump was reportedly "disgusted" by the former governor's choice to kill her puppy and continued to ask questions about it to staffers and aides. Sources claimed to Rolling Stone that he even asked, "What is wrong with her?," which seemed to be a major sign of tension in the relationship between the "The Apprentice" host and the former governor of South Dakota.

While these conversations were being had outside of the public's view, the real estate mogul made a show of accepting Noem in all her faults. Joining Clay Travis and Buck Sexton on their radio show in the same month, Trump said of her newly surfaced puppy story, "She had a bad week," before adding, "And she got hit hard and sometimes you do books and you have some guy writing a book and you maybe don't read it as carefully, you know. You have ghost writers do it, they help you, and they, in this case, didn't help too much" (via CNN).

Despite the MAGA stunts Noem has pulled to paint herself as the most loyal follower to the president, it appears that even her best attempts to seat herself as his right-hand woman fell flat after the scandal.