An incident on Kristi Noem’s resume reportedly landed her a prominent position in President Donald Trump’s administration.
In her 2024 memoir no turning backNorm admitted to shooting her 14-month-old puppy Cricket, claiming the female dog had an “aggressive personality.”
“I hate that dog,” Noem wrote, calling the cricket “worthless.” Of the fatal shot she fired two decades ago, Noem wrote: “It was not a pleasant job, but it had to be done.” She then buried the puppy in a gravel pit.
Donald Trump has no problem with Kristi Noem’s revelations about dog insecurity in her memoir. /Anna Money Tree/Getty Images
New excerpt from upcoming book Improper Process: The Inside Story of Trump’s Mass Deportation Plan NBC News reporter Julia Ainsley said Trump actually considered selecting Noem as vice president in 2024 before settling on J.D. Vance.
Noem, 54, was dropped from the shortlist following the publication of her book in May 2024 and the backlash that followed revelations of the callous shooting of her puppy.
Ainsley’s book reports that many observers believed the anger and humiliation following the shooting would end her chances of serving in the Trump administration, The Atlantic reported.
However, the book reveals, “Trump actually viewed this particular biographical detail as an asset to his Homeland Security secretary — one of the reasons he chose her,” the magazine said.
The Daily Beast has reached out to the White House for comment.
Noem was sworn in as Homeland Security secretary last January and became the public face of ICE’s divisive raids across the United States. She previously served as governor of South Dakota.
South Park tells the story of Kristy Noem killing puppies. /South Park Social Media
The dog shooting continues to haunt Noem and is a recurring theme that models her efforts to lead ICE raids south park.
The hit comedy portrays Norm as a charismatic ICE agent who enjoys posing for the cameras, killing puppies, using Botox and arresting anyone suspected of being Hispanic.
The episode ends with the cartoon character Norm going on a shooting spree in a pet store, firing more than 60 bullets, resulting in the massacre of puppies.
Noem addresses late Cricket at MAGA friendly Podli No.1 Miranda Devine’s podcast last September.
The Republican defended the shooting of the puppy and confirmed she also killed a “disgusting, musky, rancid” billy goat that “loved to chase” her children.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem insists she is an animal lover. / Joe Reddell/Getty Images
“This dog was actively killing animals for fun and had been butchering chickens and then tried to bite me and attack me,” Norm told Devine. “This happens all the time and it’s important to keep children and people safe.”
Norm added, “We had young children around us every day…and I knew I had to take responsibility for the situation.”
The Homeland Security secretary said she included the dog shooting in her book to be transparent as she made “tough decisions” and knew it had been weaponized against her.
“I love animals so much, I’ve always had dogs and I still have one with me, and it’s been a tough situation there,” she said.
Trump’s unfriendly relationship with dogs has long been noted. He is the first president since William McKinley to not have a pet, and the first president since Andrew Johnson to not have a pet in the White House. He also used “dog-like” as a derogatory term, including “suffocating like a dog” for people like Mitt Romney, and “die like a dog” for Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. Ironically, a U.S. military dog involved in the operation to capture or kill Baghdadi was mistook by Trump for a male.