Homeland Security Secretary Kristy Noem gives moving speech at CPAC, draws flak for ‘vodka’ comment
US Homeland Security Secy Kristy Noem is facing criticism on the Internet for her ‘vodka’ comment during her CPAC speech.
The Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), the United States’ premier conservative gathering, held its first meeting in Poland on Tuesday. This meeting was held five days before a tightly contested Presidential election in Poland between a liberal mayor, Rafał Trzaskowski, and Karol Nawrocki, a Conservative.
Trzaskowski is a pro-European Union liberal mayor of Warsaw, while Nawrocki is a conservative historian backed by the Law and Justice party, according to The Washington Post. Nawrocki's stand is reportedly not in favor of the European Union, and the candidate is quite skeptical of the same.
What did Kristi Noem say?
Meanwhile, CPAC saw an interesting set of affairs, with US Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem delivering a passionate speech. She addressed key themes such as faith, freedom, and the importance of leadership.
Noem also emphasized Poland's role as a beacon of conservatism and urged the Polish electorate to choose the right leader to uphold conservative values and protect national sovereignty. “We need you to elect the right leader,” Noem was quoted as saying during this moving speech.
Noom highlighted the significance of strong borders and personal responsibility, drawing parallels between Poland’s resilience and America’s historical struggles. “You will be the leaders that will turn Europe back to conservative values,” Noem said.
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“We are at a point in history where we are fighting for democracy. We are fighting for our families and their right to live free. I have watched leaders in my lifetime choose to steal it through power, corruption, and fear. And I will no longer tolerate it,” Noem continued.
Noem draws flak for ‘vodka’ comment
Meanwhile, social media is flooding with comments and posts about Noem's comment about Poland and vodka. In the speech, she is heard saying, “I could have come here today and given you a speech that you would have said that was very nice, wonderful, and then go home and have some of your good Polish vodka and have a wonderful evening and enjoy and say, ‘Oh, she maybe would have even been better had we had the vodka ahead of her speech.’ But I'm going to be honest with you, we do not have time for nice words.”
Following the discussion on social media, an X page even posted the clip with a caption saying, “Kristi Noem gives a speech at Polish CPAC and says it might have gone better if they’d all drunk vodka beforehand. Embarrassing doesn’t even begin to cover it. This is how Republicans represent America on the world stage. Like a cringe punchline.”
