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STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:
The speakers last night at the Republican convention included a rising star in the party. Kristi Noem is the governor of South Dakota, the home of Mount Rushmore. Her speech last night referenced Abraham Lincoln, one of the presidents on the mountainside. Noem said that in America, the people are supposed to rule themselves.
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KRISTI NOEM: Government power at all levels is limited to the confines of our Constitution, which protects our God-given liberties and civil rights. We are not and will not be the subjects of an elite class of so-called experts. We the people are the government.
INSKEEP: And Gov. Kristi Noem is on the line. Governor, welcome to the program.
NOEM: Thank you for having me on the program. I appreciate it.
INSKEEP: So you mentioned so-called experts at a particular moment. We're in the middle of this vast pandemic. Which experts were you thinking of?
NOEM: I think most of the time, people turn on the news and listen to different folks giving perspectives and opinions and mistake it for actual science and data. So - and then, also, I think it's a good time for us to go back and reevaluate the purposes of our Constitution, the personal responsibility we each have to make decisions for our own lives. And some of the examples that we've seen come forward in recent months I think have really opened up people's eyes to the abilities that they have to really exercise that type of personal responsibility.
INSKEEP: If I can just be clear here, though, we have public health experts who've been saying social distancing works, masks work, that is the way to slow the spread of the coronavirus. Do you feel they're wrong?
NOEM: I think that we have a lot of public health experts that have given us a lot of information. And we've been recommending social distancing. We've been recommending that people wash their hands. We've also seen mixed science on this virus. In fact, what was revealed about the virus back in March when it first started to hit a lot of our states and what we know about it today is very different. So I think that's what's incredibly important when - especially when it comes to a pandemic like this and the health issue, is that we continue to learn and be teachable, because we've seen the CDC guidance change over and over again, the WHO guidance change over and over again, doctors give completely different perspectives on the same issue.
And so that is why I think, ultimately, it comes down to the fact that we give people all the information we possibly can, we reference the studies, the science and the data, and then we give them the opportunity to make decisions that work best for their families.
INSKEEP: Well, and I guess we should note you're correct that expert advice on things like masks has evolved as people have learned more about the virus. I think you're referring to the fact that you've been reluctant to impose mandates in your state, compared to other states. I want to note one event recently, though, Governor. There was a motorcycle rally, giant event in Sturgis, S.D. - thousands of people, limited masking, very little social distancing, big crowds. Then they all went home, and the Associated Press reports that health officials in eight states have traced outbreaks back to people who went there. What do you make of that?
NOEM: Well, we had a lot of people visit South Dakota, participate in the motorcycle bike rally. That is something that they made the decision to do and have gone back home from. We've hosted several large events in our state. And consistently, what I have told people is that if you are concerned, if you have a vulnerable condition to where you're older or potentially have a health condition that could cause you to get very sick if you catch the virus, please stay home. If you're fearful...
INSKEEP: That's good - that's useful advice.
NOEM: Overwhelmingly, a lot of people continue to exercise that decision-making for themselves, and that's what we allowed to have happen during the Sturgis bike rally as well.
