The governor of South Dakota has been banned from over 90 percent of tribal land in her home state in the latest in a series of controversies.
Kristi Noem has been embroiled in controversy after recent comments accusing tribe members of being absentee parents and in cahoots with drug cartels.
She is now barred from entering six of the nine Native American reservations within the state, after a vote by the Yankton Sioux Tribe.
The Republican, who has been tipped as a potential Vice Presidential pick for Donald Trump, is now unable to access more than 90 per cent of the state’s tribal lands and more than 16 per cent of South Dakota’s total landmass.
Governor of South Dakota Kristi Noem has faced numerous controversies
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At a town hall earlier this year, Noem said: "Their kids don’t have any hope...they don’t have parents who show up and help them. They have a tribal council or a president who focuses on a political agenda more than they care about actually helping somebody’s life look better.
"We’ve got some tribal leaders that I believe are personally benefitting from the cartels being here, and that’s why they attack me every day."
A spokesperson from the Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate Tribal Council said: "As Tribal leaders, it is our duty to honour the voice of our people...Although, it is always a goal to engage in constructive dialogue with our political counterparts at the federal and state level.
"It is equally important we take actions that protect our values, ensuring a safe and inclusive environment, and preventing further marginalisation of tribal nations."
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Noem has been tipped as a potential running mate for Donald Trump
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It comes after the 52-year-old has received backlash after an extract from her upcoming memoir revealed she killed a dog. In the book, Noem describes killing an "untrainable" dog called Cricket which she "hated." She also said she shot a goat to death.
Noem said the dog ruined a hunt and later attacked chickens owned by a local family, behaved like a "trained assassin," and was "dangerous to anyone she came in contact with." She wrote: "I realised I had to put her down."
The Democratic National Committee seized on the excerpts, calling them "horrifying" and "disturbing" and tried to make a 2024 election argument about the shooting of the animals.
Responding on social media, Noem said: "We love animals, but tough decisions like this happen all the time on a farm. Sadly, we just had to put down three horses a few weeks ago that had been in our family for 25 years."
Noem claimed she was going to meet President Macron
PAMeanwhile, Noem has been criticised by the French government relating to a passage that describes a cancelled meeting with French president Emmanuel Macron.
She wrote: "While in Paris, I was slated to meet with French president Emmanuel Macron...However, the day before we were to meet, he made what I considered a very pro-Hamas and anti-Israel comment to the press. So I decided to cancel."
However, a French official told NBC News there is no record of a scheduled meeting with Noem, nor had they invited her.
Noem also removed a passage claiming she had met with North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un, a meeting that did not happen.
