Kristi Noem's New Veneers Expose Her Biggest Insecurity

Kristi Noem's teeth appear to be her biggest insecurity. Well, they used to be. In 2024, the then-South Dakota Governor revealed that she got veneers to boost her confidence and keep people's focus on what she said — not what she looked like. "For me, being able to have a confident smile and have my teeth be something that's not a distraction, but actually is appealing to people can be helpful," she explained in a video posted to X. "Because I think that it will make sure that we're focused really on the right points I want to make," she added.

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Noem also revealed the dramatic reaction she'd had after seeing her new teeth, which were originally damaged while riding bikes. "When they showed me my beautiful new teeth, I hugged Dr. Davis and thanked him and started to cry, just because he really does care about the work that he does to make sure it's perfect," she said. "And it means a lot to me that something as small as your smile really can change the world. I think that people's first impressions of you are important, and I want people to know how much I enjoy seeing them." 

Noem, who's since undergone a drastic plastic surgery makeover, was ultimately sued for the video after concerns arose whether she'd illegally withheld that the video was an advertisement. But lawsuit or no lawsuit, Noem was determined to upgrade her look.

Kristi Noem had already drastically changed her looks by the time she posted about her new shiny smile. And yet, social media seemed rather surprised by Noem's cosmetic tweak, mostly because of the potential legal consequences. 

"Are you even allowed to do this type of stuff while holding public office?" tweeted one user on X, formerly known as Twitter. "What fresh hell is this? Are you advertising?" wrote a second. That said, she did receive some positivity regarding her choice. "Your teeth are beautiful," tweeted another. "I had a similar problem with my teeth for most of my life. I was self conscious. I had a great dentist take care of it. I now do not worry that people are distracted by my teeth."

It's been suggested that Noem's veneers were the cheat code to making herself more palatable to Donald Trump. "It's all about her appeal to an audience of one," Ron Bonjean, a Republican strategist told The New York Times. "The whole teeth thing almost looks like it was done for Trump to see. She is showing him she works well in front of the camera, that she has that star power he wants onstage with him, while fitting into the mode of women in the Trump universe." Given that Donald appointed her as the Secretary of Homeland Security at the start of his second presidential term, we'd say her MAGA transformation was worth it. At least to her.