Americans are upset about food prices rising under President Joe Biden, and South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem on Newsmax warned that this administration is allowing more foreign entities to buy up our food supply since the Obama administration.
''There's consequences on many levels to allowing these types of entities in these countries to buy our food supply chain,'' Noem, a Republican, said on Thursday's ''Eric Bolling The Balance.''
''When they control our food, they will control us.''
Noem noted she had issues dealing with Smithfield Foods' meat processing in South Dakota during the COVID-19 pandemic. Smithfield Foods is now owned by a Chinese-connected business, WH Group, and was bought in 2013 during then-President Barack Obama's administration.
''Our food supply is our national security policy. It just is,'' Noem told host Eric Bolling. ''For years, I've been watching foreign countries, other entities that are not friends of the United States, buy up our fertilizer companies, our chemical companies, our processing systems and those entities.''
Now, under Biden, foreigners are buying up large swaths of land, including farmland, Noem added.
''Now we see other people buying hundreds of thousands of acres of land; and, listen, many times it is foreign entities in some of these states as well,'' she said. ''So we have countries like China that own all these different pieces, and they're not dummies. They know that when they control our food supply, they control us.
''So this is a national security policy issue that the American people need to be aware of.''
The U.S. is losing control of its food supply by allowing these transactions, she continued.
''We've always had in the United States of America a priority of keeping safe and affordable food supply that's diversified, so one person or one country doesn't control it,'' she said. ''We are losing that. We're losing that on Joe Biden's watch, and it is a concern for us, our country, and for those families out there that are looking to feed their kids every week when they go to the grocery store.''
Noem has been rumored to be a top vice presidential candidate in 2024, but she said she is first focused on winning reelection as governor this November.
''I don't really play in hypotheticals,'' she said. ''What I've said, though, is that if President [Donald] Trump runs, I certainly will support him. His policies were great for our country. You know, I think that it's important that people recognize that leadership has consequences. All you have to do is go from state to state to see the consequences of who was sitting in that governor's office, and all of us should be evaluated by the decisions that we made.''
Noem said she has had the guts to stand alone in the face of Democrats' opposition during the pandemic.
''Those were unique times, unprecedented times. And in many of those decisions, I stood alone,'' she added. ''But it was right for our constitution. It was the right decision then and now, and South Dakota's thriving because of it. I'm so proud of our state and what we did together.''
As for 2024, she did not rule out winding up on either Trump or Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis' presidential ticket.
''I have no idea,'' she said when asked who it might be at the top of the Republican primary. ''You know, I'm running for reelection here, to stay and be the governor of South Dakota. So I hope that people here want to keep me.
''I think we're thriving here and bringing a lot of hope to this country, and it would be incredible if I could get the opportunity to continue to serve the folks here.''
About NEWSMAX TV:
NEWSMAX is the fastest-growing cable news channel in America!
Eric Mack ✉
Eric Mack has been a writer and editor at Newsmax since 2016. He is a 1998 Syracuse University journalism graduate and a New York Press Association award-winning writer.
© 2024 Newsmax. All rights reserved.