Trump announces North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum as Department of the Interior secretary

President-elect Trump teased a “big” announcement Thursday night, sharing that North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum will lead the Department of the Interior.

“He’s going to be announced [Friday]…I look forward to doing the formal announcement, although this is a pretty big announcement right now, actually,” Trump said during his speech at the Americans For Prosperity Gala at Mar-a-Lago on Thursday. “He’s going to head the Department of Interior, and he’s going to be fantastic.”

“We’re going to reduce regulation waste, fraud and inefficiency,” Trump said. “We’re going to clean out the corrupt, broken and failing bureaucracies. And we’re going to stop child sexual mutilation. We’re going to stop it because it’s time.”

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President-elect Trump attends the America First Policy Institute Gala held at Mar-a-Lago, Thursday, in Palm Beach, Fla. ( Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

Burgum, a multi-millionaire former software company CEO turned two-term governor, launched a White House bid in June 2023. 

Bergum made energy and natural resources a key part of his campaign for the GOP nomination.

After making the stage at the first two GOP presidential debates, Burgum failed to qualify for the third showdown, in autumn of last year, and he dropped out of the White House race last December. A month later, he appeared in Iowa with Trump and endorsed the former president for the GOP nomination, days ahead of the first-in-the-nation caucuses.

Former President Trump, left, listens as North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum speaks during a Nevada Republican caucus night watch party in Las Vegas, Feb. 8.  (Ian Maule/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Burgum became a high profile surrogate for the former president, appearing on the campaign trail and in media hits on Trump’s behalf.

He was in consideration as Trump’s running mate this past summer before Sen. JD Vance of Ohio was picked as the Republican Party’s vice presidential nominee.

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Burgum, in an interview with “Fox and Friends” last week, said Trump’s election victory was “game changing” and that “we’ve got a new sheriff in town.” 

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The governor added that a Trump victory also “means that America is going to be dominant in energy.”

“America is going to be dominant in energy which is key to all the diplomacy we do all over the world,” he said.