Gov. Kristi Noem touted as a top contender for Trump VP pick

Now that former President Donald Trump is marching forward to officially claim the GOP presidential nomination, all the buzz is centered around his potential pick for a running mate.

Based on a series of previous hints, many believe that Trump will ultimately select a female vice president, and many also believe that would be the smartest political play.

One name in particular keeps rising to the top: South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem.

Noem has long supported the former president and has defended his policies and actions for years. She has the support of much of the MAGA base and has the loyalty box fully checked.

In addition to her increased frequency of media appearances -- many of which she uses to echo Trump's vision for America -- observers believe that she's high atop the VP shortlist at this point in time.

According to Fox News, later this year, Noem is set to release a book titled No Going Back: The Truth on What's Wrong with Politics and How We Move America Forward.

In it, Noem will lay out her vision for America moving forward, and many believe it lines up perfectly with Trump's vision should he win the 2024 general election.

"So many times, almost on a daily basis, I hear people talking about wanting to go back to the old days of Mitt Romney, Cheney, the Bushes, you know, when Republicans could reset themselves back to these people that were steady and spoke perfectly. Yet they're the ones who created the swamp that we have to deal with now," Noem said during a Fox News interview last week.

She added, "So this book is almost like a get over it and grow up book and the to-do book for the average citizen on what they can do to embrace the fact that we're not going back to that."

"There's no going back. They need to adjust their perspective and realize that Trump broke politics – he just did – and that that's a good thing."

Trump suggested during his most recent VP hint that he won't select one in the immediate future but dropped Noem's name as a potentially good running mate.

Donald Trump says he will not announce his pick for VP for awhile, that the main criteria he’s looking for is a person he could see as a good President, and seems to float Tim Scott and Kristi Noem as possible candidates. pic.twitter.com/X7C4e9hoW1

— ALX 🇺🇸 (@alx) February 4, 2024

"Either would be fine. But knowing Trump, he'll probably pull a surprise out of his hat," one X user wrote, referring to Noem or Sen. Tim Scott.

Only time will tell whom Trump selects. Whomever it is, they'd better be prepared for the media onslaught that will follow.