As Donald Trump broke the news to Gov. Doug Burgum (R-ND) that he was no longer being considered to be his running mate, the former president may have teased a position in his Cabinet.
When speaking with CNN’s Kaitlan Collins at the Republican National Convention , Burgum addressed Trump calling him to let him know he had not been selected for the role of vice president. Before Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH) was picked for the role, Burgum, Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL), and several others were among the finalists for Trump’s vice presidential pick.
“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,” Burgum said.
“But, as you know, Kaitlan, we were never running for a Cabinet position, never running to be VP. 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. That was our focus,” he continued.
Collins took note of Trump calling Burgum “Mr. Secretary” and the governor's previous comments that he was not looking for a role in a potential second Trump presidency. She asked Burgum: “So he called you 'Mr. Secretary,' so it sounds like he’s teasing that he would want you in his Cabinet. You told me previously that you were not open to taking a Cabinet position. Is that still the case?”
“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 replied.
Some Republicans have previously stated that Burgum would be well suited as the secretary of energy in a Trump administration.
“Can you imagine Doug Burgum leading the energy policy in the United States instead of the current woke policies that we are seeing like shutting down the Keystone XL Pipeline, shutting down LNG permits, promoting this green radical agenda?" Sen. Steve Daines (R-MT) said in April. "That issue alone ought to be motivation for the people of North Dakota and Montana to make sure we elect President Trump in November of 2024.”
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Burgum is friendly with the fossil fuel and oil and gas industries, supports the Dakota Access Pipeline, and is critical of subsidies for electric vehicles. He has also pledged to make North Dakota carbon-neutral by 2030. Trump himself even highlighted Burgum’s energy record.
“[Burgum] probably knows more about energy than anybody I know,” Trump said at a rally in May. “So get ready for something, OK? Just get ready.”
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