President-elect Donald Trump has selected Governor Doug Burgum (R-North Dakota), the 2024 Republican presidential candidate, to lead the Department of the Interior.
President Trump announced his selection Thursday night at the America First Institute Gala at the luxury resort Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida.
Trump, wearing a tuxedo, initially teased that he would have a “big announcement” on Friday, but said he would not reveal the names of his appointees or the positions they would hold. He eventually reveals that it is Burgum, heading the Ministry of the Interior.
“I think he's a great guy and he has an incredible wife named Katherine. So I won't say his name, but it might be something like Burgum. He's from North Dakota. An announcement will be made tomorrow about a very important position,” President Trump said.
“In fact, he's going to be Secretary of the Interior, and he's going to be a great person,” Trump added.
The president-elect said he and Mr. Burgum are “going to get things done on energy and land and inland, and it's going to be incredible,” emphasizing the goal of lowering energy costs.
Burgum was a Republican primary candidate, but ended his candidacy in December 2023 and endorsed Trump on the eve of the Iowa caucuses.
North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum speaks at the America First Institute for Policy Studies Gala at the Mar-a-Lago Resort in Palm Beach, Florida on November 14, 2024. The annual event supports Gray Team, a nonprofit organization dedicated to preventing military suicide. (Joe Radle/Getty Images)
In his victory speech after winning the Iowa caucuses, Trump announced that he was already eyeing Burgum as a possible candidate for his second Cabinet.
“I hope I can ask him to be a part of my administration, a very important part of my administration,” Trump said.
Later that night, Burgum flew with Trump from Iowa to New York City aboard Trump Force One.
Like Trump, Burgum was a political outsider and businessman before becoming governor. Mr. Burgum was an early investor in Great Plains Software and eventually became CEO before the company was sold to Microsoft in 2001. forum Burgum will continue as head of Microsoft Business Solutions, the company reported.
Mr. Burgum had focused on energy both during his presidential campaign and during his campaign, but Mr. Trump has stumbled. Indeed, nearly a year ago, when Burgum endorsed the president-elect, he vowed that Trump would unleash America's “energy stranglehold.”
