South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem's (R) controversial new book faced a new obstacle on Friday when a French government official raised questions about her description of a canceled meeting with President Emmanuel Macron, NBC News reported.
Noem wrote in her book “No Going Back” that she decided to cancel a plan to meet Macron at the last minute because she disagreed with one of his comments that she believed was anti-Israel.
In her book, she stated, “While in Paris, I was supposed 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 statement to the press. So, I chose to cancel.”
Macron’s office told NBC News that there is no evidence of Noem ever being scheduled to meet the president, nor had she ever been invited.
Noem’s spokesperson informed NBC News that the governor had been in Paris for a political conference in November 2023, and that she was invited to Macron’s private box for the country’s Armistice Day parade.
The conflict adds to a series of inaccuracies in the book, including a story of an unlikely meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. There is no evidence of any meeting with Kim, and Noem acknowledged that it should not have been included in the book, but stated it was not a made-up story.
The story involving Kim and another tale about former U.N. ambassador Nikki Haley were removed removed from the published version of the book by the publisher after facing criticism.
The book was also criticized over a story that Noem had killed her 14-month-old hunting dog due to misbehavior. Noem has consistently defended the decision to shoot and kill the dog, despite widespread criticism, arguing that it was for the safety of others.
The mistakes in the book release have arisen as Noem is thought to be a potential candidate to be former President Trump’s running mate. It is believed that Noem cut a media and appearance tour for the book short last week due to the backlash, and political commentators believe the blunder may have ruined her chances to be on Trump’s ticket.
