Testing the Waters? Huge "Trump Noem 2024" Sign Flashes at Picture-Perfect Moment at South Dakota Rally

Wishful thinking from Noem or a big hint from Trump?

A large digital sign at the Rapid City, ND, rally for President Trump Friday night briefly displayed an unambiguous campaign shot saying, "Trump Noem 2024." The rally caught national attention because it was the official endorsement of Trump by South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem.

From what I've been able to piece together from coverage, the huge sign only appeared for a few seconds, but those seconds just happened to be the moment Noem greeted Trump on stage for a cheek kiss.

NBC News captured the moment:

Having watched the moment from multiple channels on Rumble, I considered the possibility this was just NBC News Photoshopping the sign behind them. None of the videos I watched captured it, but they were all at the wrong angle. Then, I found another version of the moment from a different angle, this time from CNN:

It's real.

The seconds immediately before and after the brief greeting showed different images:

Smaller versions of the sign could be seen held by members of the crowd:

It's unclear whether this is wishful thinking from Noem's team or if the Trump campaign is already dropping hints to test the waters. Noem's name has been at or near the top of the list of contenders to be Trump's running mate. She is extremely popular in her own state and has achieved modest name recognition nationally (which isn't hard considering the vast majority of GOP governors are feckless and not noteworthy).

Personally, I'm not a fan. She's above average at best, perhaps a notch above where Mike Pence was as a governor before he turned treacherous, which seems to be almost immediately after settling in at the White House. But I'm open to warming up to Noem if she is indeed Trump's pick. It's not like we've had a single great Vice President in modern history. At least she's not Dick Cheney... we hope.

This was a not-so-subtle hint. Whether it came from Team Noem or Team Trump is unknown. Either way, people are going to be talking about it so we might as well grab the popcorn.