Remarks at the 2024 Republican National Convention – July 15, 2024

Good evening! You all look fantastic. I love the cowboy hat. And a shout-out to South Dakota – hi!

I’m Governor Kristi Noem from the great state of South Dakota. [cheers]

Leadership has consequences. It matters who’s in the White House.

Now, I’ve been a governor under both President Trump and Joe Biden, and people ask me all the time, what’s the biggest difference. And I tell them that President Trump honored the Constitution. He let me do my job. [cheers] And he let me keep my people free. [applause and cheers]

Now, leadership on the state level—it matters, too. It certainly mattered in South Dakota. I am so proud to say that South Dakota’s strong economy has become a beacon of freedom for America.

Most of you probably first learned about me during COVID, didn’t you—because South Dakota was the only state in the country that stayed open for business. [cheers]

We didn’t mandate anything. We never ordered a single business or church to close. I never even defined what an essential business was, because I don’t believe that the government has the authority to tell you that your business isn’t essential.

When other states were pushing mandates and lockdowns, instead in South Dakota, we hit the gas. We embraced liberty. We told our story and invited people to come and enjoy our state.

Now, all the things conservatives have always talked about, we just did it. And it worked. [applause] Our economy took off. And since I’ve been governor, we broke the national record for the lowest unemployment rate in American history, at 1.8%. In South Dakota, everybody works.

We paid off state debts and bonds. We fixed dams and bridges. We built roads. We have a fully-funded pension plan and a AAA credit rating. We broke records for surpluses. We balance our budget every single year. [applause] And last year—last year in South Dakota we passed the largest tax cut in South Dakota history.

Under my administration, incomes in our state have gone up 36%. Women-owned businesses are thriving.

We also have the highest birth rate in the nation. People are having babies because they are happy. [applause] And in South Dakota, we love babies. [applause]

Our mental health challenges have gone down, our suicide rates are declining, and we are the #1 state in the country for a decline in overdoses because people have hope. [applause]

We are growing so fast that we need more workers to keep up, so we launched the most successful workforce recruitment campaign in the history of South Dakota. And they have come by the thousands to join us and to live with use.

Do you guys remember those ads when I was a really lousy plumber? And a really terrible electrician—do you remember those? Well, since we started those ads, we have seen a 78% increase in licensed plumbers in the state of South Dakota [applause]. We’ve seen a 44% increase in electricians in our state. Now, people aren’t moving to South Dakota for our beaches or for our beautiful January weather. They are moving to our state for opportunity and for freedom. And all of this happened because our people were bold, we took action, and I was strong.

Now, South Dakota proved that freedom will make America wealthy again. [applause] And with President Trump in the White House, with Senator J.D. Vance by his side, we will prove it across America. [applause]

Listen—two days ago the whole world changed. Evil displayed itself in the very worst way, through a cowardly act. An innocent American lost his life, and we will continue to lift his family up in our prayers every single day.

Prior to this week, we already knew that President Donald Trump was a fighter. He is the toughest man that I have ever met. Nobody has endured more than what he has gone through. They’ve attacked his reputation, they impeached him, they tried to bankrupt him, and they unjustly prosecuted him.

But even in the most perilous moment this week, his instinct was to stand and to fight. [applause and cheers of “Fight! Fight! Fight!”]

Donald J. Trump is our man in the arena. He will never stop fighting for us. He will never stop, and now, he is bringing all of us together.

Now, I know that many of you are angry. But now is the time to unite, and we have to get to work. We have to win the hearts and minds of every single American. Wake them up with truth and with wisdom. We need to listen to them. You can’t win people over by arguing with them. Visit with your neighbors at your job, at your church, at the gas station, or even at the grocery store.

Listen—there are moments in our history—often after great hardship or tragedy—when true leaders unite our country.

At one time President Lincoln, he united our country. He delivered my favorite presidential address of all time. In fact, it’s the only speech or poem or song that I ever made my kids memorize when they were young, when they were little. It was the Gettysburg Address, and it was delivered during our nation’s bloodiest conflict. That speech so inspired people, that they continued to fight for years and they lost loved ones in order to preserve this union we call the United States of America. [applause]

Now at that time, President Lincoln encouraged us to “take increased devotion… that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom – and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.” [applause]

Like Lincoln, in the midst of our pain and division, Donald Trump is calling us to be “touched… by the better angels of our nature.”

As Paul wrote in 2 Timothy, “God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.”

We must not be afraid. [applause] Even in our darkest days, we have never once given up hope.

So don’t quit on America. If we lose this country, where else will we go that provides more freedom and opportunity for our kids and our grandkids? And I’ve got three grandkids and I’m counting on a whole lot more.

And yes, democracy can be messy, but there is a great invisible strength to a people’s union. We have shown the world that we can endure sacrifice and that we can still unite. We should still aspire to be worthy of this union—America.

President Donald J. Trump is the leader we need for such a time as this. [applause]

So now, I need you to get to work. Get out there. Go do it. Don’t quit. Keep fighting. Keep uniting. Keep talking to people. Win the hearts and minds, and may God bless you, and may God continue to bless the great United States of America.

Thank you.

PBS NewsHour. “WATCH: Gov. Kristi Noem speaks at 2024 Republican National Convention | 2024 RNC Night 1.” YouTube video, 10:09. July 15, 2024. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h1IPZde6gXk