South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem, who is being considered as a potential running mate for Donald Trump’s presidential bid, has been sued over a promotional video featuring a cosmetic dentistry company’s work on her teeth.
The lawsuit, filed in Washington DC by Travelers United, a consumer advocacy group, alleges that Noem failed to disclose her financial relationship with the company while endorsing its services.
According to the group, the lawsuit aims to compel Noem to provide corrective disclosures on all her social media posts endorsing products or services.
In the five-minute video, Governor Noem expresses,
“I’m the governor of South Dakota and had the opportunity to come to Smile Texas to fix my teeth, which has been absolutely amazing.”
She explains that her decision to seek dental treatment stemmed from a biking accident, recounting how she initially consulted Smile Texas via Zoom several years ago but was unable to schedule an appointment due to time constraints.
After finding the time, Governor Noem commends Dr. Bret Davis and Dr. Mackenzi McAfee-Dooley, stating that the company has “finally given me a smile I can be proud of and confident in” as she navigates her political career, emphasizing the importance of speaking engagements and interviews.
“I want when people look at me to hear the words that I say and not be distracted by something that I’m wearing or how I look or even my appearance. I want them to focus on my thoughts and ideas and what we can do to really make this country better.
“So 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 will be helpful because I think that it’ll make sure that we’re focused on really the right points that I want to make and make sure that that confidence shines through. I love it.”
In its suit, Travelers United said:
“Kristi Noem is the governor of South Dakota for a living but seems to have taken up work as a social media influencer as of 12 March 2024.
“Companies, like Smile Texas, pay influencers, like Kristi Noem, to promote their product or service to her followers … Sitting politicians do not typically work as part-time social media influencers.”
According to the suit, residents of Washington DC could view Noem’s video on various platforms like X, Facebook, Instagram, or Truth Social (owned by Trump), potentially influencing them to seek treatment in Texas.
The lawsuit alleges that Noem failed to disclose that the video was an advertisement or that she received any complimentary or discounted medical procedures in exchange for promoting the dental company on social media.
The video was seemingly filmed at Smile Texas headquarters, further emphasizing the lack of transparency.
Additionally, the suit referenced social media comments questioning why Noem was endorsing a private company.
It noted that despite being aware of advertising disclosure laws on social media, Noem allegedly failed to rectify any of her posts promoting Smile Texas.
“Travelers United would like to make clear this lawsuit is merely a lawsuit over the lack of advertising disclosure.
Governor Kristi Noem has had many accomplishments in office and Travelers United hopes that after correcting her social media posts she continues to do her job of making her great state even better.”
The suit requests that Noem be prohibited “from advertising on social media without disclosing that she is advertising” and seeks statutory and punitive damages, along with payment of costs.
