This archive report was first published on 8 August 2020.
South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem has been making waves in national politics, and her recent actions have only added fuel to the speculation about Vice President Mike Pence's job security.
According to sources, Senator Tom Cotton of Arkansas, Senator Rick Scott of Florida, and Representative Liz Cheney of Wyoming have been busy with their own national security and healthcare agendas, while Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is pushing a hard line on China to shore up his conservative credentials.
Meanwhile, Governor Noem has been working hard to burnish her national profile, installing a TV studio in her state capitol, becoming a Fox News regular, and taking advice from Corey Lewandowski, former campaign manager for President Trump's 2016 campaign.
Her efforts have paid off, as evidenced by the news-driving celebration at Mount Rushmore, where she was seen celebrating with President Trump. However, her attempts to raise her profile have not been without complications, and they illustrate the risks in political maneuvering with a president who has little restraint when it comes to confidentiality.
One such complication arose when Governor Noem flew with President Trump to Washington on Air Force One after his Mount Rushmore speech, where she and the president spoke privately for over an hour. An aide to Governor Noem denied that she raised the vice presidency with President Trump, while Corey Lewandowski, a paid adviser to the Pence-aligned Great America PAC, also denied that he or the governor ever raised the subject of replacing Vice President Pence on the ticket.
