South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem’s forthcoming book, which previously made headlines for an excerpt outlining her shooting a puppy, is steeped in controversy once again.
In “No Going Back,” Noem describes a meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, recalling that she was “sure he underestimated me.” But, as it turns out, the two have actually never met.
“We’ve been made aware that the publisher will be addressing conflated world leaders’ names in the book before it is released,” spokesperson Ian Fury said in a statement.
The book contains at least one more possibly inaccurate account of a conversation, one which Noem alleges took place between her and Nikki Haley. According to the book, the then-Ambassador to the United Nations called the Governor to introduce herself and offer advice on leading a state, which Noem somehow took as a threat.
“I’ve heard a lot of really good things about you. But I also want you to know that if I hear something bad … I will be sure to let you know,’” Noem recounts Haley saying. “I’m pretty sure I was just threatened by Nikki Haley. It was clear that she wanted me to know that there was only room for one Republican woman in the spotlight. It was weird.”
A spokesperson for Haley, Chaney Denton, noted that the conversation occurred a year before Noem said it did, and that she unfairly twisted what was merely a show of support.