South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem got a hot Christmas gift from her staff — literally. They gave her a flamethrower engraved with the state motto “Under God, the people rule.”
A photo on Twitter 2 years ago showing Noem holding a flamethrower with the caption, “Is it too late to add something to my Christmas list?” went viral, leading her staff to buy one for her this year.
A video posted to Twitter on Sunday shows Noem, decked out in camouflage, using the flamethrower to torch a pile of cardboard boxes on a snowy farm.
In the video, she shoots a final spray of flames into the boxes, raises her arm with a flourish and says “Boom, perfect.”
Tennessee-based MidSouth Shooters, the company that makes the flamethrower, says it costs about $650. Noem spokesman Ian Fury says no tax dollars went toward the purchase.