Burgum says Trump called him ‘Mr. Secretary’ on call

North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum (R) said former President Trump appeared to extend on invite to serve in his Cabinet if he wins a second term to the White House, during a call in which Trump informed Burgum he would not be his running mate.

Burgum was one of the top contenders to be selected as Trump’s vice presidential candidate before the former president announced Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio) as his running mate Monday. In an interview with CNN’s Kaitlan Collins during the Republican National Convention on Monday, Burgum recounted how Trump told him he was not going to be his running mate.

“Well, I got a call and a great conversation with the president. And he said, ‘Hey, Mr. Secretary.’ He’s always been so positive and so considerate to [my wife] Kathryn and I this whole time,” he said.

“But, as you know, Kaitlan, we were never running for a Cabinet position, never running to be V.P. As a sitting governor, I’ve got 152 days left of the greatest job in the nation, being a governor of North Dakota right now,” he added.

Burgum endorsed Trump earlier this year after he dropped his own bid to be the Republican presidential candidate. Since then, he has been a frequent surrogate for the former president in media interviews and appearances.

He was floated, alongside Vance, Sens. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) and Tim Scott (R-S.C.), as a potential running mate for the former president. Trump announced Vance was the pick Monday, and the pair was formally nominated to be on the Republican’s ticket during the convention later that day.

When Collins noted Burgum previously told her he wasn’t interested in a Cabinet position; he said he was going to focus on governing North Dakota and ensuring Trump gets reelected.

“Well, there’s going to be no Cabinet positions that President Trump can get out unless he wins. And this is going to be a tight race for sure this fall. I mean, people may feel like it’s a runaway today, but these things always tighten up,” he said.

“And I would just say … there’s going to be a lot of work to do between now and then. And that’s going to be the focus any time that I’m spending now, is my governing job in North Dakota and making sure that President Trump ends up back in the White House,” he added.

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