Kristi Noem doesn’t think Trump has to ‘get personal’ to beat Biden in Thursday’s debate – Washington Examiner

Gov. Kristi Noem (R-SD) believes Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump can avoid being “personal” with President Joe Biden and still win Thursday’s presidential debate.

Noem, just a short while ago considered to be on Trump’s short list for running mate contenders, told NBC’s Peter Alexander on Meet the Press that she believes the former president will stick to policy and paint himself more positively than Biden that way.

“I don’t think he has to get personal at all because he’s going to have so many good things to talk about in contrast with Joe Biden’s policies,” Noem said after Alexander referenced her 2022 comments that she did not appreciate Trump’s use of personal insults.

Noem went on, pointing to the economy and costs going up, such as at the grocery store. “That’s really what I think President Trump is planning on focusing on,” she said.

Other strategists and analysts have said similar things, even, in former White House chief of staff Karl Rove’s case, that Trump is better served sticking to policy and not making it “all about himself.” Biden, on the other hand, needs to show vigor and mental stamina, according to most people analyzing the debate’s circumstances.

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Noem, a firm ally of Trump, was seen as a strong contender to be Trump’s vice president in the spring. However, her release of an anecdote detailing how she killed her dog appeared to change the tide, with the outrage immense and the story a constant point of discussion.

Trump is expected to announce his running mate decision around the time of the Republican National Committee Convention, which begins on July 15. Among the favorites are Sens. J.D. Vance (R-OH), Marco Rubio (R-FL), and Gov. Doug Burgum (R-ND).