While most Americans were celebrating the 4th of July weekend, South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem (R) spent part of hers posing for frowny pictures intended to troll President Joe Biden.
It didn’t exactly go as she had hoped.
Noem posted images she described as “Trump’s America” and “Joe Biden’s America”:
Her images of “Biden’s America” were pics of herself and her family looking sad. The image marked as “Trump’s America” looked like it might’ve been from last year’s Independence Day celebration at Mount Rushmore. However, Twitter sleuths were quick to notice that it was actually taken long before Donald Trump ever took office:
The image was cropped to remove the credit owed to photographer Matt Halvorson, who posted it on his website in 2015. At the time, he wrote that it was from “a few years ago” and a composite made by combining his photos of fireworks with one of his images of the landmark.
Fireworks were discontinued at Mount Rushmore in 2010 due to the “unacceptable risk of wildfire.” In addition, tribal leaders have objected to the displays, which take place on land they consider sacred.
Trump brought them back in 2020 over the objections of tribal leaders.
This year, the National Parks Service declined a request by South Dakota officials to hold a celebration involving fireworks. Noem went to court over the issue and lost.
Twitter users sounded off on the governor over her awkward tweet: