
The only American who can get away with conduct that would kill off anybody else's career is sitting in a New York courthouse facing allegations of having paid hush money to porn star Stormy Daniels. The dogslayer in question, Kristi Noem, the governor of South Dakota, now known as "Cruella", must be wondering where she went wrong.
The tone-deaf, trigger-happy Noem, who had high hopes of becoming Trump's vice-presidential running mate, has just shot herself royally in the foot. In No Going Back, one of those ghastly political books that aspiring candidates for national office feel obliged to churn out, Noem boasts about killing Cricket, her family's 14-month-old wirehaired pointer.
She must rue the day a Guardian reporter sniffed out the best bits ahead of publication next week.
"I hated that dog," Noem admits in her book, adding that the boisterous Cricket was "worse than useless" as a hunting dog. After the over-exuberant pup slaughtered some chickens, it was time for her to act. Noem grabbed a gun and shot Cricket in a gravel pit.
"It was not a pleasant job but it had to be done," she boldly confesses. While she was at it, Noem also dispatched the "nasty and mean" family goat, who smelled "rancid" and used to headbutt her children.
At a stroke, Noem's political ambitions were snuffed out. What kind of crazy person murders their dog? In a desperate effort to limit the damage, Noem claimed to have to put down three horses in a subsequent statement and tried to justify her behaviour as the act of a caring but concerned, tough-minded citizen.
この記事は Evening Standard の May 01, 2024 版に掲載されています。
7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、9,000 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。
すでに購読者です ? サインイン
この記事は Evening Standard の May 01, 2024 版に掲載されています。
7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、9,000 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。
すでに購読者です? サインイン

Are you ready for medieval-core?
No one was more surprised than medieval armourer Matthew Finchen.

Worth the wait This is a beautifully written triumph
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's first novel since 2013's Americanah is a winner

Low-budget indie film Anora wins big at the Oscars
“The more Hollywood changes, the more it remains the same,” writes Ty Burr.

Forget the Trump noisepeace could now be possible
There's much to fixate on, but it's best to judge the President on the substance

Is it the final call for the Heathrow villagers?
Life with the residents whose homes could be destroyed if a third runway touches down

The Fat Badger, London's first invite-only pub
A riotously fun boozer that doesn't officially exist? No wonder celebs are secretly flocking here

Marlon James on why Kingston is Jamaica's beating cultural heart
Whether it’s parties, patties or patois, this Caribbean capital is a non-stop celebration, says the Booker Prize-winning author

The London socialite. His aristocrat killer. And a mother's search for justice
The brutal, ketamine-fuelled killing of a public schoolboy shocked the world. In our new true-crime podcast, we tell the real story

“Last year's Festival was brutal, but we're ready to put it right”
The Guinness Village is, to Cheltenham racegoers, something of a field of dreams.

Me, Marrakech and I: How to ace a solo female trip
I first visited Marrakech with my then-boyfriend in 2004, when I spent my days getting lost in the labyrinthine souks and witnessing snake charmers hypnotise cobras. Over 20 years later, I decided to see how it fared for females going it alone.