South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem is back in the national spotlight with a pair of weekend appearances.
Thegovernor spoke Saturday at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Florida. She received a standing ovation for comments critical of Dr. Anthony Fauci.
“He told me that on my worst day, I’d have 10,000 patients in the hospital,” Noem said. “On our worst day, we had a little over 600. Now, I don’t know if you agree with me, but Doctor Fauci is wrong a lot.”
Fauci is a director at the National Institutes of Health and a key leader of President Biden’s coronavirus response team.
The governor appeared Sunday on “Face the Nation” on CBS. Noem defended her handling of the pandemic, which has resulted in one of the nation’s highest per capita death rates from COVID-19.
“You indicated that I ignored medical advice, I didn't listen to my health experts,” Noem said to host Margaret Brennan, “and I most certainly did. In South Dakota we took this virus very seriously. What I did, though, was tell my people the truth. I gave them personal responsibility over decisions for their families’ public health, but also gave them the flexibility they needed to keep their businesses open.”
Noem will be back in Florida on Friday, when Donald Trump Jr. hosts a political fundraiser for her at former President Trump’s Mar-a-Lago Club.
Governor Noem's full interview with "Face the Nation"