Doug Burgum

Announced as Secretary of Interior nominee

Doug Burgum, the Republican governor of North Dakota, is Trump’s pick to be Interior Secretary. Burgum, who ran for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, emerged as a top VP contender for Trump after dropping out of the race. Burgum espouses complete fealty to Trump, pledging “this election is about the top of the ticket and I’m not supporting or campaigning for President Trump for a cabinet position or a VP” and proclaiming that “President Trump is the key to this thing.” Burgum recently defended and minimized Trump’s comment that Biden was like the Gestapo, the Nazi secret police, and mocked Trump’s hush money trial, calling it “a spectacle for cable tv” and a “scam trial,” and characterizing it as a mere “business filing error.”

Burgum has embraced casting doubt on the legitimacy of election results, recently asserting “I think it’s clear that there’s vote-buying going on at a scale like we have never seen before.” Burgum further suggested that policies to provide people with public assistance was tantamount to bribery, stating, “Citizens understand those are like pre-election payoffs. Those are like, hey, folks, please vote for us because we’re relieving your debt. So at what point does it cross over, programs like student debt, to just vote-buying?” During his brief presidential campaign, Burgum offered $20 gift cards to individuals who donated $1 to meet the threshold for participating in the GOP’s first debate. Burgum’s net worth has been estimated as at least $100 million.

In the lead up to the 2024 election, Burgum had refused to answer whether the results would be accepted, instead justifying Republican election denial with a long recounting of election questions Democrats and Republicans have raised in past elections, dismissing the fact that past Democrat candidates conceded in cases of election questions. In response to Kayleigh McEnany asking, “Governor, CNN is a big Russian disinformation laptop purveyor, my dad always says if you’ve got to eat crow, eat it while it’s hot, well this crow is positively frigid right now, do they ask about it?” Burgum replied, “well I think they have to, if they don’t you can just toss the whole debate right out the window.”

Burgum has been a vocal defender of Trump in the face of numerous legal challenges. Regarding Trump’s criminal trial in New York, Burgum asserted, “If it was anybody else, this trial wouldn’t even be happening” and that it would be “a travesty of justice” should Trump be convicted. Burgum blamed Trump’s conviction on Biden, saying, “and now Joe Biden is trying to lock up the guy that was the person that solved your problem.”

Burgum has portrayed Trump as both a victim of a weaponized justice system and as a strong, hard-working, selfless leader, promising that “no one works harder than Donald Trump” and explaining that “[Trump] listens, he’s curious, he’s everything that they don’t tell you on the news, if every American could see what I’ve seen of him up close right now and- and the depth of his caring and how he cares for the forgotten man and the forgotten woman in this country ah you know, there would, this election would be over right now.” Doubling down on his points on Trump’s service and dedication, Burgum said, “He doesn’t have to do any of it, he could be playing golf.” Donald Trump played golf an estimated 248 to 266 days of his four years in office. Burgum then recalled traveling on Trump’s jet and eating McDonalds on a zero-alcohol flight to illustrate Trump’s energy. Following being on the campaign trail together, Burgum admired Trump’s stamina, recalling Trump’s recent handshaking: “the number of hands he’s shaken … his hand literally like people have been shaking his hand so hard he’s got it bruised.”

Burgum told Jesse Watters of Fox, “I wish every American could see President Trump the way we’ve seen him the last six months, he’s genuinely exceedingly funny, but as you know Jesse, the best comics are really smart people, highly intelligent, and highly perceptive, and they know their audiences, and I think President Trump’s been amazing […] he understands the pain points of America.” Burgum has also said in many interviews and press appearances in the past weeks that serving as governor under “President Trump that was like a beautiful breeze at your back, and under Joe Biden, for our state […] it’s like having a gale force wind in your face.”

Burgum alleged that the media suppressed stories regarding Hunter Biden’s laptop. He also asserted the Washington Post lied regarding Trump’s request for $1 billion in donations to relax regulations on oil and gas production and ease scrutiny of industry mergers. Burgum said, “he didn’t make promises, he listened.”

Burgum has taken an increasingly aggressive pro-fossil fuel stance. Despite previously setting a goal for North Dakota to become “carbon neutral” by 2030, Burgum’s policies have primarily benefited the oil and gas industry. Covering Burgum as a potential VP contender, AP reported, “Burgum is championing the pipeline project, which would gather planet-warming CO2 from ethanol plants across the Midwest and deposit the gas a mile underground. The pipeline aligns with Biden’s push to tackle global climate change, a position that could put him at odds with Trump. In backing the pipeline, Burgum is navigating the tricky issue of land ownership in deep-red North Dakota and the politics of climate change inside the GOP.” Burgum’s support for the pipeline project, which has drawn opposition from climate activists, farmers, and some conservatives who see it as a corporate enrichment scheme, has helped solidify his standing with Trump. AlthoughBurgum has outlined plans to make North Dakota carbon neutral by 2030, he avoids describing the pipeline or other carbon capture initiatives as anything beyond a lucrative business opportunity for North Dakota that might ultimately assist the fossil fuel industry: “This has nothing to do with climate change … This has to do with markets.” Trump has praised Burgum, saying, “He made his money in technology, but he probably knows more about energy than anybody I know.”

In appearances on behalf of Trump, Burgum has argued that the country needs more oil and gas and has accused President Biden of “demonizing” the fossil fuel industry by encouraging the growth of renewable energy. He is close with oil billionaires, including Harold G. Hamm, the founder and chairman of Continental Resources, who has business ties to Burgum, invested in the carbon capture pipeline project i, and donated $614,000 to the Trump 47 Committee. As CNBC reported: “Burgum has an even more personal link to Continental: Burgum’s family leases 200 acres of farmland in Williams County to the energy giant for the company to pump oil and gas, according to previously unreported business records and a federal financial disclosure report. Burgum has made up to $50,000 in royalties since late 2022, while he’s been governor, from the deal with Continental Resources, according to his financial disclosure, details of which have not been reported.”

Burgum said that Americans are living under a “dictatorship” under President Biden due to Biden’s signing of executive orders. Burgum has blamed “three letter agencies” for regulations that were causing rising prices, and on a campaign stop at a grocery in Walker, MI, he said that he knows about food and energy because North Dakota produces both. Burgum has railed against the climate progress of the Biden Administration, stating, “Now we’ve got … these incredible trillions of dollars in costs associated around this green fantasy they’re pursuing.” By contrast, Burgum said, “President Trump who is, you know, campaigns regularly that he’s going to solve all these issues and stop us on this economic and energy martyrdom that democrats have us on.”

Burgum has argued that the United States should be producing more than its current record oil production highs, pushing for “14, 15, 20 million barrels per day.” He has criticized President Biden’s temporary pause on permits for new liquefied natural gas export facilities, despite the fact that the U.S. is still on track to nearly double its export capacity by 2027. Burgum champions the idea of “clean” fossil fuels, alleging, “the environmental restrictions are hurting this country, they’re not helping it” “we innovate to have zero carbon liquid fuels or low carbon liquid fuels.” Burgum also proposed using small nuclear reactors and compared the risk of living near a nuclear power plant to the risk posed by living on a farm in North Dakota near a road.

As governor of North Dakota, in May 2023, Burgum signed one of the strictest abortion bans in the country, prohibiting all abortions in North Dakota except in very narrow circumstances. Burgum’s stance on LGBTQ+ rights has also shifted in recent years. In 2021, he vetoed a bill that would have restricted transgender students from participating in school sports, citing the lack of examples of transgender girls wanting to play on girls’ sports teams. However, in 2023, Burgum signed bills including a near-total ban on gender-affirming care for minors and legislation allowing tax dollars to fund unlicensed anti-abortion centers. Burgum descends from a pioneer family of Bismarck, and as reported by the Grand Forks Herald, Burgum was not always opposed to DEI: “Burgum credits the family tradition of strong women for his comfort in surrounding himself with accomplished women, noting that when he managed the former Great Plains Software, now part of Microsoft Business Solutions, the employee roster was 51% female, rare in the male-dominated technology sector.”

Burgum accused the Biden Administration of favoring blue states and penalizing red states, saying, “when Joe Biden immediately got in, they changed the formulas and said no we’re going to give money to the places that had the highest unemployment… all these sanctuary cities got way more money per capita than a place like North Dakota” and “the bad policies that hurt our students and hurt America got more money and the people who were doing it right got less, it’s just blatant.” He went on to lament that student loan forgiveness did not benefit any students in North Dakota, even though 220 students received $1.6 million of forgiveness in North Dakota under the Biden Administration’s policies. Burgum said, “People should be outraged […] if you borrow money, you pay it back.” Burgum criticized Biden’s latest China tariffs while endorsing Trump’s China tariffs and suggested that “the Biden-Harris Administration has really been negotiating for Hamas.”