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South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, is sworn in during her confirmation hearing before the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee on Capitol Hill on January 17, 2025 in Washington, DC. Noem is expected to face questions about the incoming Trump administration’s plans to crack down on illegal immigration
Photo by Eric Thayer/Getty Images

Kristi Noem’s ethnicity, confirmed

Spoiler alert: it isn’t Indigenous South Dakotan.

This Friday, Jan. 17, South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem attended her confirmation hearing as a formal necessary step in her ascendence to Secretary of Homeland Security in this second Trump administration.

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It does not matter if you shoot your puppy and family goat for no good reason, go to work at 10 am absolutely hammered, or are yourself a sorry excuse of a man named Matt Gaetz – who, in the end, thankfully did not join this cabinet of wonder – as long as you’re an outspoken loyalist, in Trump’s book, that makes you good enough for a high-profile job in his administration – metaphorically, of course, Trump likely has no books at home, not even the multiple Bibles he boasted about.

It is also unsurprising that inclusivity, as in the truest sense – not the broken version many Republicans advocate for – of a working meritocracy, is not a consideration for Biden’s successor. The majority of the 47th President’s selected administration is white, straight, and have all sung his praises publicly at least a significant number of times. Kash Patel, being the son of Indian parents, is an exception, but he fits Trumpian standards by being a great contestant for the title of the President-elect’s number one fanboy – the sheer existence of The Plot Against the King is proof enough.

Noem also falls into the category of white and straight – plus, she had to endure being on stage during the town hall where the septuagenarian “danced” for 40 awkward minutes. The crux of the problem, of course, is not rooted in the ethnicity, gender identity, or sexual orientation of Trump’s picks, but in the obvious lack of reasonable standards when it comes to deciding the group of people who are effectively at the helm of the ship that is America – which could also apply to MAGA in general, but I digress.

Even though she has firm roots in the state she governs, if you trace up Noem’s family tree, you will find other nationalities – something which evidently isn’t that unusual in the melting pot that is America.

“Rodeo Queen” with European ancestry

Noem is a South Dakotan through and through, a fact that the 53-year-old politician is markedly proud of. In her 2022 book, Not My First Rodeo, she describes herself as “the daughter of a farmer who can’t help choosing the hard way at every turn,” “a rodeo queen who prefers cowboy boots to high heels,” and “a wife, mother, and grandmother who has, by now, learned a thing or two about politics in America.”

The farmer in question, Ron Arnold, suffered a tragic accident when Noem was 22 years old. Arnold died as he had lived: while taking care of work that needed to be done on the family ranch. He was the son of Wesley Wilson Arnold. Edward George Arnold and Flora Katherine Robish were Wesley’s parents, and Edward’s grandparents were ethnic Germans.

Noem’s mother is Corinne Arnold, whose X and other social media profile descriptions read: “Great-grandma with opinions. I gave birth to the nation’s #1 Governor, @kristinoem! Getting the word out about the best state in America.” Although she is also very much a South Dakotan, on Corinne’s mother’s side she has German ancestry, and her father, Alf Harold Bergan, was the son of Norwegian immigrants.

Noem, therefore, has traces of German and Norwegian blood running in her veins. This tidbit about her may not be as common knowledge as the innocent animal blood she has on her hands.


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Author
Image of Margarida Bastos
Margarida Bastos
Margarida has been a content writer for 3 years. She is passionate about the intricacies of storytelling, including its ways of expression across different media: films, TV, books, plays, anime, visual novels, video games, podcasts, D&D campaigns... Margarida graduated from a professional theatre high school, holds a BA in English with Creative Writing and an MA in Text Editing/Publishing.