South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem, a Republican, is facing legal action over a viral dental endorsement video she posted on social media.
The lawsuit, filed by consumer advocacy group Travelers United in Washington DC, accuses Noem of “misleading and deceptive advertising.”
“Travelers United sued South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem for failing to properly disclose a medical tourism advertisement that she posted on all of her personal social media platforms,” reads a description of the suit shared to the advocacy group’s website, which grouped it under legal claims related to “travel influencers,” reported the digital news portal CBS News.
According to the lawsuit, Noem failed to properly disclose a medical tourism advertisement when she shared the video on her personal social media account on X.
Noem, a Republican, who was once considered a potential candidate for the 2024 presidential race and has positioned herself as a possible vice presidential choice for former President Donald Trump, encountered criticism and extensive scrutiny after she initially shared the video on Monday night.
In the video, the governor featured prominently, offering praise to “the team at Smile Texas”, a cosmetic dental office, for performing a procedure that Noem praised for fixing her teeth and giving her a smile that she said she “can be proud of”.
She captioned the video, “I love my new family at Smile Texas! The video says it all, and I am so grateful for their help fixing my smile for me.”
A post on Smile Texas’ Instagram account, featuring the video of Kristi Noem, described her as a “gracious leading lady” who had recently obtained an “executive, feminine, beautiful smile” at Smile Texas.
Noem explained that she decided to undergo the dental procedure due to a biking accident that occurred several years ago, resulting in the loss of some of her teeth, reported CBS.
However, the lawsuit alleges that Noem did not disclose her financial relationship with Smile Texas when sharing the promotional video.
It also claims that she violated a Federal Trade Commission requirement by not clearly marking the post as an advertisement.
The lawsuit describes Kristi Noem’s actions as taking up work as a social media influencer while serving as Governor of South Dakota.
The legal action comes as North Dakota State Senator Reynold Nesiba, a Democrat, has called for an investigation into Noem’s viral dental video.
“This infomercial raises a number of questions,” Nesiba wrote on X on Wednesday.
Nesiba raised concerns about the advertisement and has requested that the issue be added to the agenda for the next meeting of the state legislature’s Government Operations and Audit Committee.
