miscalculation

Did Kristi Noem just blow her chances of being Trump’s #2?

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Kristi Noem wearing a red "Make America Great Again" hat.

Kristi Noem is in the midst of a MAGA makeover. The South Dakota governor has wavy locks, shiny new teeth and harsh views on immigration.

But there is one aspect of Noem’s profile that she cannot change: her longstanding opposition to TikTok.

With the House passing a bipartisan bill last week that could result in the ubiquitous video app getting banned in the U.S., Noem was on Fox News Wednesday endorsing the legislation.

She told Sean Hannity that TikTok, which is owned by the Chinese-based company ByteDance, is a serious security threat.

“TikTok is owned by the Chinese Communist Party. Their No. 1 desire is to destroy America,” she said. “That is why we should be alarmed at the amount of influence they have in this country. They unleashed a pandemic and a virus on the world at the exact same time they released TikTok to make it proliferate and go out there and influence our youth.”

That sounds like MAGA-pilled tough talk, except there’s one problem: Trump doesn’t want to ban TikTok. In fact, the disgraced ex-president recently flipped on the topic.

Though Trump spent the last year of his presidency ranting about banning the app, he’s now opposed to a forced sale. In an online post, Trump said banning TikTok would only help Facebook, apparently his true social media archenemy.

Joe Biden, meanwhile, said he supports Congress’ efforts, and would sign the bill if it’s passed.

That means… yes, you guessed it! On the new topic de jour, Noem sides with Biden, not Trump!

One better hope the Orange Menace from Mar-a-Lago wasn’t watching Fox News last night. Good thing he never tunes in, right?!

We’re giving the VP hopeful approximately 24 hours to try and walk back her take…

Now, it’s worth mentioning that Trump’s about-face probably isn’t genuine. He recently met with billionaire investor Jeff Yass (not queen), a major donor to the conservative political group, Club for Growth. The right-wing organization is backing Trump in 2024, and could provide his campaign with a much-needed infusion of cash.

Oh, and Yass also happens to own a 15% share in TikTok’s parent company. Club for Growth also recently hired Trump’s original henchwoman, Kellyanne Conway, to lobby against Congress’ bill.

But still, for the 2024 election cycle, Trump appears to be backing TikTok. That aligns him with Marjorie Taylor Greene… and AOC. Weird bedfellows, indeed!

Speaking of weird, Noem went viral last week for a bizarre infomercial she recorded on behalf of a Texas-based dental office. The gay-hating governor posted a four-plus minute video extolling the work of Smile Texas, which she says fixed her smile. (Good thing, because she has such a filthy mouth!)

“I chose the team, because they’re the best,” she said. “They wanted to make sure I was happy with my smile, that it was going to work for me for the rest of my life.”

Related:

Kristi Noem praises dentist who helped clean up her filthy mouth in weirdest infomercial ever

The South Dakota governor has a new smile.

Noem’s infomercial was so strange, it’s led to a cottage industry of speculation. The prevailing theory is that her fresh front teeth are the latest ploy in her efforts to woo Trump over. New York Times fashion writer Vanessa Friedman chronicles Noem’s looks over the years, from a power bob-wearing congresswoman to wannabe Miss America:

After Mr. Trump won the presidency and the MAGA movement took off, Ms. Noem adopted a new look. Her hair got longer and longer, with tousled waves kissed by the curling iron, her part moved to the center. She began to resemble a doppelgänger for Kimberly Guilfoyle, Donald Trump Jr.’s fiancée. Or a dark-haired version of Lara Trump, Eric Trump’s wife and the new co-chair of the Republican National Committee.

It’s been a prolonged veep tryout for Noem, who’s expressed her interest in the position for months.

Her animus towards the LGBTQ+ community, however, goes back years. Since assuming office in 2019, Noem has banned gender-affirming care for minors, banned drag shows and opened up a “whistleblower hotline” that encourages the public to report anything “woke” happening at state colleges and universities.

As governor, she’s made it her mission as governor to ensure LGBTQ+ people are as marginalized as possible. But now that’s beginning to backfire, just like her harsh anti-TikTok rhetoric. She was recently ordered to pay a transgender advocacy group $300,000 for wrongfully terminating a contract with the organization.

On top of that, the largest Native American tribe in South Dakota, the Oglala Sioux, banned Noem from its land due to her extreme anti-immigrant rhetoric.

With all of her pandering, Noem reportedly remains on Trump’s short list. But she’s competing against more than a dozen other individuals, NBC News reports.

As it turns out, Trump’s short list isn’t all that short!

While expected contenders sycophants such as New York Rep. Elise Stefanik, South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott and Ben Carson are under consideration, there is one emerging new favorite: Marco Rubio. The Florida senator, who Trump emasculated in the 2016 campaign with taunts of “Liddle Marco,” is apparently back in his good graces.

“It’s pretty clear from Trump’s orbit that Rubio is in play,” said a veteran Florida GOP operative. “It makes sense because he checks almost every box if they can get past both being from Florida.”

Even if Trump’s heart is with Noem, his best strategy might be with Rubio. Anybody know his views on TikTok?

That’s one way he can maybe get ahead.

Related:

Lara Trump’s latest scheme to raise money for the RNC is shameless

What’s that saying about fools and their money…?

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