Kimberly Guilfoyle showed a curious sense of timing this week by announcing the release of her dog-themed children’s book — just as her friends in the Trump campaign are grappling with the national outrage over revelations from South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem that she shot to death her misbehaving dog Cricket and buried the puppy in a gravel pit.
Guilfoyle, an adviser for Trump’s 2020 campaign, unveiled her book, “The Princess and the Pup,” on Monday. It stars a character named “Princess Kimberly” and her frightened “little pup” friend, the Daily Beast reported. Guilfoyle’s self-described “pro-God, pro-America” publisher said the book follows the story of a “sweet and caring” princess who is “afraid of almost everything” until she “meets a little pup who’s scared too.”
Republican presidential candidate and former President Donald Trump, left, embraces South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem at a campaign rally, Saturday, March 16, 2024, in Vandalia, Ohio. (AP Photo/Jeff Dean)
Guilfoyle, the fiancée of Trump’s oldest son, Don Jr., said on X (formerly Twitter) that the “heartfelt story” of her book “teaches children that it’s easier to be courageous with a friend by your side.” She also said that 10% of all proceeds will go to Furry Friends Adoption, Clinic and Ranch, a Jupiter, Florida,-based nonprofit that runs a no-kill shelter and rescue for abandoned dogs and cats.
But Guilfoyle’s cheery announcement was met with widespread scorn on social media because of Noem’s recent disclosure about killing Cricket, a wirehair pointer who lived on her family farm in South Dakota, the Daily Beast reported.
Noem is a rising star in Republican politics who had been widely viewed as Trump’s top pick to be his vice presidential candidate, the Daily Beast said. Cricket’s killing was described in Noem’s forthcoming memoir, “No Going Back,” as The Guardian first reported. Cricket exhibited an “aggressive personality, lacked hunting skills and was “untrainable,” said Noem, who is known for her combative public persona. While revealing that she “hated that dog,” Noem also portrayed herself as someone strong enough to make the tough choice to put the dog down herself by leading her to a gravel pit and shooting her.
Noem’s revelations sparked widespread outrage on all ends of the political spectrum, leading pundits to wonder if the governor had committed “political suicide” and effectively removed herself as Trump’s vice presidential pick, the Daily Beast reported.
Paws Animal Rescue, a South Dakota-based animal welfare organization, also issued a statement that didn’t comment on Noem’s specific situation but said it had yet “to meet a dog that was so untrainable it deserved to be shot to death,” the Daily Beast said in another report.
Noem’s revelations also meant that people responding to Guilfoyle’s X account couldn’t help but link the two women’s dog stories.
“Are you sending an autographed copy to @GovKristiNoem?” one X user wrote in response to the book announcement from the former first lady of San Francisco and ex-wife of California Gov. Gavin Newsom. “Dedicate it to Cricket,” the X user also said.
Another asked if her children’s book ended “with the pup in a gravel pit.” A third wondered if the work is a “remake of ‘The Governor Shot Her Pup’?”
And, a fourth, said, “Perfect timing, Kimmy! Now you can write a sequel called ‘The Princess, Her Pup & the Visit to Farmer Kristi’s Gravel Pit.’”
Even amid the outrage over Cricket’s death, Noem has defended her actions, attempting to cast the killing as indicative of her ability to take tough decisions, the Daily Beast said. On Sunday, she said she can understand “why some people are upset.” She wrote on X: “As I explained in the book, it wasn’t easy,” she wrote. “But often the easy way isn’t the right way.”
But The Daily Beast also reported that Noem’s “graphic and shocking” description of Cricket’s slaying has been poorly received by many, “including those in Trumpworld.”
Operatives around the former president “are fixated on the ads that would run if she were anywhere involved with President Trump’s campaign,” the Daily Beast said. A Trump operative said, “I mean, this stuff is devastating. There’s nothing more popular in politics than dogs, and she killed one—and she continues to talk about it… That’s what’s baffling and shows out-of-control judgment.”
