Kristi Noem at Faith & Freedom Summit: 'We Need to Focus on Winning the Hearts and Minds of People Again'

South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem closed out Day Three of the Faith & Freedom Coalition "Road to Majority 2024" conference held June 20-22 at the Washington Hilton in Washington, D.C. Dubbed by founder and CEO Ralph Reed as the nation’s premier pro-faith, pro-family event, the three-day public policy fete featured breakout sessions and keynote addresses from conservative politicians, Christian activists, and policy wonks. Viginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin, North Carolina Sen. Tim Scott, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, syndicated radio host Mark Levin, and former New York Congressman Lee Zeldin were among the featured speakers and guests.

Thank you @ralphreed and @FaithandFreedom for uniting men and women of faith from all over the country with an unbridled sense of optimism, because we know a basic truth: God has blessed America, prayer is powerful, and with courage and conviction, our best days are ahead of us. pic.twitter.com/WL3YqWz9WF
— Glenn Youngkin (@GlennYoungkin) June 22, 2024

Of course, the event's featured keynote was former president and presumptive GOP nominee, Donald Trump, who delivered his remarks before Noem closed out the event. RedState's Becca Lower shared a snippet from his speech in her piece earlier on Saturday.

The weekend was filled with a host of other conservative leaders and election-focused workshops. Texas Pastor John Hagee was also a guest and the recipient of the Winston Churchill Lifetime Achievement Award:

A huge thank you to @JHoganGidley, @JoliMayra, SonJalita Boyd, Kimberly Brown, @stella_immanuel, @Bruce_LeVell, @tguyfrancois, and John DeBerry for leading a breakout session on the 7 Mountains of Influence!#RTM2024 pic.twitter.com/uJYpJDcv31
— Faith & Freedom (@FaithandFreedom) June 22, 2024

After the controversies earlier this year surrounding her book tour, Noem appeared to be back in form, focusing her conservative message on reclaiming the ears of Americans not just through policy, but through conservative values. Noem slammed the Democrats for their extreme abortion position, and was insistent that Republicans needed to deepen their support and stance for pro-life.

We need to focus on winning the hearts and minds of people again. We’re right on our polices. We’re right on our values. We’re right on the Bible, and where we believe and we pull all of our convictions from.

“We need to focus on winning the hearts and minds of people again.” - Governor @KristiNoem

“We’re right on our polices. We’re right on our values. We’re right on the Bible, and where we believe and we pull all of our convictions from.”#RTM2024 pic.twitter.com/zTUATjqNOB
— Faith & Freedom (@FaithandFreedom) June 22, 2024

Noem played the worthy surrogate, reinforcing the promise Trump has made and will continue to make to America.

What he was telling us as Americans was that he was going to be exactly who he was: That he was going to be honest, that he was going to be genuine, and that he was going to fix this country and help make America great again.

In closing out her speech, Noem called for a revival of faith and love for America in 2024.

We want to see a revival of faith in 2024, a revival of a love for America. That love started as a small flame in the hearts of the Founders hundreds of years ago.

Noem encouraged the audience to remember that hope is optimism with a plan, and reinforced the importance of this election: that it is literally about those who love America and those who are trying to destroy America.