South Dakota’s Gov. Kristi Noem has said that although it’s clear Democrat leadership does not work, the Republican Party has not done enough for the American people either and needs to reflect on how to keep the promises it’s made to constituents, particularly on healthcare and immigration.
“We said we would reform health care, repeal ObamaCare. We have not done that. We said we would deal with immigration. We have not done that. There’s a lot of different promises that we’ve made to the American people that we just have not had the fortitude to pursue and actually get into place and impact their lives,” Noem continued.
“So, the Republican Party has a self-evaluation they need to go through,” Noem said. “And we really need to focus on making sure we’re doing what we say. I’ve always watched every single president, and I’ve watched their actions of what they’ve actually put into place with policies. We as Republicans need to make sure we follow-through with everything we say we stand for as well.”
Democrats and some Republicans have blamed former President Donald Trump for inciting the breach at the Capitol building despite his calls for protesters to act “peacefully and patriotically.” But Noem said it is the government’s failure and in particular, Republicans’ own failure for not living up to the principles that the GOP was founded on.
Democrats have unanimously called for Impeaching Trump a second time over the attack on the Capital, and give Republicans have joined their efforts.
However, Noem praised the former president for following through on what he promised and having policies that honor individual freedom and the ability to build a prosperous life, as envisioned in the Bill of Rights and the U.S. Constitution.
“President Trump did things of great magnitude for this country. What he did on tax reform, on trade deals, his support of Israel, his protection of our national defense, his enforcement of our laws,” Noem said.
“This man got up every single day and fought for the common everyday Americans so that they could have a chance to be successful and pursue the American dream. His legacy is going to be remembered as one of the greatest presidents that we’ve had because of the policies he pursued and the fact that he actually did what he campaigned on and he followed through on it,” she added.
Noem made an appeal to Republicans to reflect on the core values of the party, that are enshrined in the Constitution, which she said respects each individual’s God-given rights and freedoms.
South Dakota is one of the states that did not shut down its small businesses or places of worship during the pandemic, instead relying on individuals to make decisions to keep themselves safe.
Noem has received sharp criticism for not mandating masks and social distancing rules throughout her state.