CRISIS AS IT COULD HAVE UNFOLDED
UNDER THE LEADERSHIP OF
JOE BIDEN.
BUT JOINING ME NOW IS THE
GOVERNOR WHO REFUSED TO GIVE
INTO THE LEFT’S DEMANDS AND
LOCKDOWN REQUEST, GOVERNOR
KRISTI NOEM OF SOUTH DAKOTA.
GOVERNOR, IT’S GREAT TO HAVE YOU
ON TONIGHT.
YOU HAVE BEEN LAMBASTED IN THE
PRESS FOR NOT STRIPPING YOUR
RESIDENCE OF THEIR BASIC
FREEDOMS AND THEIR RIGHT TO WORK
AND GO TO SCHOOL, BUT HERE WE
ARE, SIX MONTHS INTO THIS
PANDEMIC AND SOUTH DAKOTA STILL
HAS A DEATH RATE 11 TIMES LOWER
THAN NEW YORK’S PER 100,000
PEOPLE.
AMAZING.
>> YEAH, WE ARE DOING VERY WELL,
LAURA, NOT THE STORY AND THAT
NEEDS TO BE TOLD, I TRUSTED MY
PEOPLE, THEY TRUSTED ME, THEY
TOOK PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY FOR
DEALING WITH THIS VIRUS, AND WE
ARE DOING VERY WELL.
NOT ONLY DO WE HAVE THE LOWEST
DEATH RATES, WE’VE GOT ABOUT 40
PEOPLE IN THE HOSPITAL TODAY,
STATEWIDE, OUR INFECTION RATES
ARE LOW, OUR JOB LOSSES ARE LOW,
OUR ECONOMY IS DOING BETTER THAN
VIRTUALLY ANY OTHER STATES, AND
I THINK IT’S A REAL TESTIMONY TO
WHAT COULD HAVE BEEN POSSIBLE IN
OTHER STATES, BUT THE GOVERNORS
JUST MADE THE WRONG DECISIONS.
>> Laura: DESPITE OVERWHELMING
EVIDENCE, GOVERNOR NOEM,
INCLUDING, AS YOU JUST SAID,
FROM YOUR STATE, THE LEFT IS
STILL URGING NATIONAL LOCKDOWNS.
WATCH.
>> LOCKDOWNS WORK.
QUARANTINE WORKS.
ISOLATION WORKS.
WEARING MASKS WORKS.
CONTACT TRACING WORKS.
THESE THINGS WORK, AND WE ARE
NOT DOING THEM.
>> IF WE LOCKED DOWN HARD FOR A
MONTH OR SIX WEEKS, WE COULD GET
THE CASE COUNT DOWN SO OUR
CONTACT TRACING WAS ACTUALLY
ENOUGH TO CONTROL IT.
>> Laura: GOVERNOR, YOUR STATE
PROVES THIS IS JUST NOT THE
CASE, AND WE DON’T NEED TO STRIP
THE PEOPLE OF THEIR FREEDOM TO
FIGHT THE VIRUS.
>> WHAT WORKS IS WASHING YOUR
HANDS, MAKING GOOD DECISIONS.
I THINK WHAT WE ARE SEEING THERE
IS ENCOURAGING LEADERS TO MAKE
DECISIONS WHERE THEY WILL
OVERSTEP THEIR AUTHORITIES AND A
TIME OF CRISIS, AND THAT’S HOW
WE LOSE THIS COUNTRY, BORA, THAT
IS EXACTLY WHAT IS HAPPENING, IS
WE ARE ALLOWING THEM TO TAKE
CONTROL OF OUR COUNTRY IN A WAY
THAT WE HAVEN’T SEEN BEFORE, SO
WE NEED A FEW PEOPLE TO STAND
UP, READ OUR HISTORY, TALK ABOUT
THE IMPORTANCE OF OUR
CONSTITUTION AND THE FACT THAT
THESE GOVERNORS NEED TO
RECOGNIZE THAT THEY NEED TO
UPHOLD THOSE FREEDOMS THAT WE
HOLD SO DEAR AND DON’T KNOW
THESE PEOPLE TO TAKE CARE OF
THEIR FAMILIES AND MAKE THE
RIGHT DECISIONS AND DEAL WITH
THIS VIRUS, MUCH LIKE WE DO
EVERY OTHER CHALLENGE THAT COMES
OUR WAY AND AMERICANS TACKLE IT
TOGETHER.
I’M FRUSTRATED BY --
>> Laura: WHAT --
>> GO AHEAD.
>> Laura: WHAT WOULD HAVE
HAPPENED TO YOUR STATE’S ECONOMY
HOW WE LISTEN TO THIS DR. HAZEL
STEIN OR ANY THESE OTHER
OFFICIALS, I DON’T KNOW WHY HE
IS SUPPOSEDLY AN EXPERT AT THIS,
BUT WHAT WOULD HAVE HAPPENED TO
YOUR ECONOMY AND YOUR PEOPLE?
>> WELL, THEY WOULD HAVE BEEN
DEVASTATED.
WE WOULD HAVE LOST BUSINESSES,
FAMILIES WOULD’VE LOST THEIR
HOMES, WE WOULD’VE SEEN SO MANY
PEOPLE CONTINUE TO GET STAKE,
STILL BE HOSPITALIZED, BUT THEY
WOULD DO IT WITH LESS
RESOURCES TO TAKE CARE OF EACH
OTHER AND LESS OF AN ABILITY TO
REALLY GO FORWARD AND PROVIDE
FOR THEIR FAMILIES.
THAT IS THE CHALLENGE HERE.
OUR STATE IS SO DIVERSE, WE HAVE
VERY URBAN AREAS, BUT WE ALSO
HAVE VERY RURAL AREAS, AND A
BLANKET APPROACH DOESN’T MAKE
SENSE FOR THE ENTIRE STATE OF
SOUTH DAKOTA, IT DOESN’T MAKE
SENSE FOR THIS ENTIRE COUNTRY,
AND THAT IS WHY WE NEED LOCAL
LEADERS TO TRUST PEOPLE IN THEIR
COMMUNITIES TO MAKE THE
DECISIONS THAT WORK BEST FOR
THEM.
AND WE ALSO NEED THEM TO BE
OPTIMISTIC, LAURA, THIS
NEGATIVITY THAT WE HEAR FROM
LEADERS AND DOCTORS ABOUT HOW
TERRIBLE THE SITUATION IS IN OUR
COUNTRY, WE ARE IN A GOOD SPOT.
WE ARE DRIVING DOWN OVER DEATH
RATES.
THE VIRUS IS MOVING ACROSS THE
COUNTRY, BUT WE ARE TAKING CARE
OF PEOPLE.
THEY ARE GETTING RESOURCES, THE
ADMINISTRATION HAS HELPED
GOVERNORS RESPOND TO THEIR
PEOPLE.
I WORRY ABOUT THESE KIDS THAT
WOULD TURN ON THE NEWS AND HEAR
THEIR PARENTS TALK ABOUT BEING
SCARED AND HEAR NEWS ANCHORS
TALKING ABOUT BEING WORRIED AND
DOCTORS, WE WONDER WHY OUR KIDS
ARE STRUGGLING WITH ANXIETY.
LET’S BE OPTIMISTIC.
>> Laura: THERE IS CONCERN
THIS BIG MOTORCYCLE RALLY THAT’S
HAPPENING THIS WEEKEND AND
SOUTH DAKOTA, AND WE DON’T HAVE
TO PLAY THE SOUND BITES, "OH, MY
GOD" COME ON TELEVISION, "HOW
DARE YOU COME IT’S GOING TO
BECOME A SUPER-SPREADERRER
EVENT, GOVERNOR," LOOK AT ALL OF
THOSE PEOPLE.
>> WELL, WE’VE HAD SEVERAL BIG
EVENTS AND SOUTH DAKOTA, THE
FIRST SPECTATOR ATTENDED
PROFESSIONAL SPORTS,
PROFESSIONAL BULL RIDING WAS
HELD, JULY 30 MEN SAW NO
INCREASE IN CASES BECAUSE OF
THAT CROWD THAT GATHERED TO CELE
AND INDEPENDENCE, PEOPLE HAVE
BEEN GATHERING AND WE HAVE BEEN
BACK TO NORMAL FOR OVER THREE
MONTHS AND SOUTH DAKOTA, SO WE
KNOW WE CAN HAVE THESE EVENTS
AND GIVE PEOPLE INFORMATION, LET
THEM PROTECT THEIR HEALTH BUT
STILL ENJOY THEIR WAY OF LIFE
AND ENJOY EVENTS LIKE THE
STURGIS MOTORCYCLE RALLY.
AND WE HOPE PEOPLE COME FROM OUR COMMIE
BENEFITS WHEN THEY COME AND
VISIT US.
>> Laura: WE ARE STUCK IN THE
D.C. METROPOLITAN AREA WITH
HORRIBLE LEADERSHIP.
GOVERNOR, WE WISH YOU THE BEST