When Questioned, Trump Denies Ever Meeting Noem
WASHINGTON— Responding to questions from reporters Tuesday, President Donald Trump denied ever meeting former South Dakota Governor and recent DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, despite what observers described as “an inconvenient amount of photographic evidence.”
Speaking to reporters outside a campaign event, Trump appeared confused when asked about recent comments from Noem praising his leadership.
“Kristi who?” Trump said, pausing mid-sentence before shaking his head. “Never met her. I meet a lot of people, tremendous people, but I would remember someone named ‘Noem.’ Sounds made up. Frankly, it sounds like a Scandinavian lawnmower brand. I don’t like lawnmowers. Incredibly loud.”
Reporters quickly pointed out several images circulating online showing Trump standing beside Noem at rallies, campaign stops, and what appeared to be at least one White House event.
Trump dismissed the images.
“Fake,” he said, waving his hand. “Total AI. You can do anything with AI now. You can put anybody anywhere. Yesterday someone showed me a picture of me riding a shark. Very convincing shark, by the way.”
At one point during the exchange, an aide attempted to clarify that Trump and Noem had in fact appeared together at multiple public events over the past several years.
Trump immediately shook his head.
“Look, I’ve met a lot of governors,” he said. “Great governors, some terrible governors, mostly terrible. But this ‘Noem’ person? I think she might be confusing me with someone else. Possibly Biden or Abraham Lincoln.”
Political analysts noted that Trump’s strategy of denying meetings with people he had clearly met had become “surprisingly common” in recent years.
“Historically, most politicians simply claim they don’t remember something,” said Georgetown political historian Mark Delaney. “What we’re seeing here is a more ambitious approach: denying the physical reality of the encounter itself.”
Reached for comment, former Secretary Noem appeared puzzled by the denial.
“I mean… we’ve met,” she told reporters. “He literally just fired me.”
