Gov. Kristi Noem whips out flamethrower in Instagram photo
Spokesperson says the flamethrower is not hers
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South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem generated some buzz on social media when she posted a photo of herself holding a flamethrower with a caption asking, "Is it too late to add something to my Christmas list"?
"Noem 2024. She'll torch the competition," quipped one Twitter user.
Noem, a Republican, is already generating 2024 buzz and responded coyly when asked about if she would run for president while speaking at Turning Point USA's Student Action Summit this past weekend.
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"I'm not going to answer that question," she said with a laugh.
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Noem has built up a national profile after standing behind her decision not to enact a statewide mask mandate despite calls from medical experts to do so amid a surge in COVID-19 cases.
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"There are many states that do have mask mandates in place and some that do not, but I look at their rate of spread and the fact is, is that cases are increasing in many of those states as well," Noem said at a November press conference.
Noem traveled to Georgia in December to campaign for Sen. Kelly Loeffler, R-Ga., ahead of the state's tight runoff elections on Jan. 5.
Georgia is serving as an early testing ground for potential 2024 GOP White House hopefuls. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley and Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., have all made appearances.
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A spokesperson for Noem told Fox News that the flamethrower is not hers.
Fox News' Paul Steinhauser and Thomas Barrabi contributed to this report.