Conservative voices, including those within the MAGA movement, reacted Tuesday to reports Kristi Noem’s husband Bryon Noem cross-dresses, with influencer Laura Loomer saying she was shocked the revelations had not come sooner.
A report by The Daily Mail laid out claims Noem leads a double life that includes wearing fake breasts and speaking to fetish models online. The article included photos the outlet said were of Noem wearing leggings and the fake breasts, sent in a messaging app.
The Mail said it had published the claims because of potential national security concerns, with experts telling the outlet that if a media organization could find the messages, hostile intelligence agencies could also.
Newsweek has not been able to verify the claims made by the outlet. A representative for Kristi Noem said she and the family had been “blindsided” by the news.
“Ms. Noem is devastated. The family was blindsided by this, and they ask for privacy and prayers at the time,” Kristi Noem’s representatives told The New York Post.
The story sparked a mixed reaction across the political spectrum, including those who said it was not their business what couples’ lives were like behind closed doors.
The story saw criticism from conservatives, including those supportive of the Trump administration, with Loomer among them.
“Kristi Noem said her family is blindsided by revelations her husband is a cross dresser and gay. That isn’t true. She knew all about her husband,” Loomer said in part on X. “They can divorce and move on and live their lives without keeping secrets.”
Robby Starbuck, a visiting fellow at the Heritage Foundation and commentator, called the allegations “disturbing” on X.
“Some people apparently want their hands held and for me to hold back when my own side of the political aisle does stupid stuff. No thanks. I’m not going to be a hypocrite,” he said. “We’d all rightly criticize a prominent Dem’s spouse if they did this. We have to have lines. Period.”
Other frequent political commentators on social media shared their views on the reporting, giving alternative perspectives.
“I don’t care what Kristi Noem and her husband are doing in their private lives. It’s none of my business what consenting adults do in private,” writer Charlotte Clymer posted to X. “But I do find it very strange that these people believe the private lives of the rest of us are their business while they’re doing this.”
This is a breaking news story. Updates to follow.
