Man arrested with two weapons at pro-Trump rally attended by South Dakota governor

Governor Noem’s security says she was ‘not in harm’s way’ during incident

A man was arrested for brandishing a knife and a baton at a pro-Donald Trump campaign rally attended by South Dakota’s governor.

Police in Maine say that Governor Kristi Noem’s security detail confronted the man when they spotted he was armed.

Ms Noem’s spokeswoman Maggie Seidel said that the politician “was not in harm’s way” at any time.

Peter Beitzell, 57, was charged with criminal threatening with a dangerous weapon after showing the weapons, a spokesman for Bangor Police confirmed.

Criminal threatening with a dangerous weapon is a Class D misdemeanour and punishable by up to a year in prison and a fine of $2,000. 

Ms Noem was making campaign stops in Maine and New Hampshire as a surrogate for the president with just a week left before election day.

The politician has been called a rising star within the national GOP and a possible 2024 presidential contender.

She addressed the Republican National Convention in August after hosting the 100th anniversary celebration at Mount Rushmore.

Ms Noem has been criticised for strongly opposing strict measures to prevent the spread of coronavirus in her state. 

The governor was travelling with a security team from the South Dakota Highway Patrol.