Donald Trump will nominate North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum for Secretary of the Interior

On By Littum

WASHINGTON – President-elect Donald Trump plans to nominate North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum to be his interior minister, he announced on Thursday evening at a gala.

Trump teased the choice during a speech at Mar-a-Lago during an America First Policy Institute dinner, where he said he would appoint Burgum on Friday to a “very big position.” Moments later, Trump decided to let the news slide early, telling the crowd that he has chosen Burgum to lead the Interior Department.

Burgum, a 68-year-old wealthy software executive, ran unsuccessfully against Trump for the Republican nomination last year when he didn’t generate much buzz and dropped out December last year before the voting started.

But he attracted immediate interest from Trump, who appreciated Burgum’s focus on fossil fuels and energy issues and his command of television. The Trump campaign increasingly sent Burgum to campaign rallies as a go-to speaker to tout a second Trump presidency and attack outgoing President Joe Biden.

North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum speaks during the final campaign rally for former U.S. President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump before Election Day at the Van Andel Arena in Grand Rapids, Michigan on Nov. 4, 2024.

North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum speaks during the final campaign rally for former U.S. President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump before Election Day at the Van Andel Arena in Grand Rapids, Michigan on Nov. 4, 2024.

Known as an independent Republican for much of his tenure as governor, Burgum has since embraced Trump’s tough rhetoric and MAGA Republicanism. Trump included Burgum on his final short list for vice president before choosing JD Vance.

Burgum’s second term as governor ends next month when Gov.-elect Kelly Armstrong, a GOP congressman, is sworn in.

Born and raised in the small farm town of Arthur, North Dakota, population 328, in 1983 Burgum mortgaged farmland he inherited from his family to invest in Fargo-based Great Plains Software. He became the company’s president the next year, and in 2001 he sold the company to Microsoft for 1.1 billion. At Microsoft, Burgum worked as a senior vice president through 2007.

Today, Burgum has a net worth of more than $100 million, according to Forbes magazine. Burgum is the founder of Kilbourne Group, a Fargo-based real estate firm, and co-founded Arthur Ventures, a software venture capital firm based in Minneapolis. He is also chairman of the board of Atlassian and SuccessFactors.

Reach Joey Garrison at X, formerly of Twitter @joeygarrison.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trump nominates North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum for Secretary of the Interior