South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem’s official social media accounts on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter were seemingly deleted without any explanation. These accounts, which had amassed hundreds of thousands of followers, were found inactive as of Monday. However, the link to her official YouTube page and her personal accounts on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter remained active. Despite this, a new Twitter account for the governor’s office was recently created with just over 300 followers, significantly fewer than her previous account’s followers.
The governor’s spokesperson, Ian Fury, directed inquiries to the new Twitter account for official updates from the governor’s office but did not provide details on the deletion of the old accounts or whether it was done by Noem or her office. Noem, who was once considered a potential vice presidential candidate for former President Donald Trump’s 2024 ticket, has faced criticism for an incident from her past involving the euthanization of a puppy, as detailed in her recent book.
Noem attempted to portray the event, which occurred two decades ago, as a demonstration of her ability to make tough decisions. Acknowledging that the dog, Cricket, exhibited aggressive behavior by biting, she received backlash for the revelation. Moreover, Noem drew ire from South Dakota tribal leaders earlier this year for remarks she made suggesting tribal leaders were involved with drug cartels. Consequently, several tribes have barred her from their reservations.
