Who is Doug Burgum, a potential Trump VP candidate?

CHICAGO (NewsNation) — Republican North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum saw an uptick in support during his brief presidential run. Now, Burgum could be heading into this year’s election as former President Donald Trump‘s running mate.

Burgum suspended his campaign for the Republican presidential nomination in December 2023 ahead of the fourth GOP debate hosted by NewsNation, which he failed to qualify for after appearing in the first two debates.

Here’s what you need to know about Burgum and his political views:

• Who is Doug Burgum?
• Border
• Crime
• Mental health, guns
• Israel, Ukraine
• Inflation, economy
• Teacher shortage, pronouns
• China concerns, Tiktok
• Fentanyl
• Climate change
• Abortion

Trump narrowed down VP pick, Burgum in the mix

According to two sources close to Trump’s campaign, Trump has narrowed his potential running mate list to Burgum, Ohio Sen. JD Vance and Florida Sen. Marco Rubio.

Several sources with knowledge of his thinking say Trump is especially fond of Burgum, who has spent a lot of time with the presumptive nominee in the last several weeks.

Burgum has impressed the campaign, sources with knowledge of the matter say, partly by his numerous appearances as a surrogate on cable news in the last several weeks attacking President Joe Biden.

Plus, Burgum heaped compliments on the former president’s first debate performance against Biden.

“He’s winning — he can win this election by himself, so he’s got the luxury of picking someone who can help him govern, and that’s gonna lead to a good choice,” Burgum told Fox News.

Burgum, who ran against Trump in the Republican primary earlier this cycle, called the debate a “knockout” and lauded Trump’s showing as “so strong.” 

Burgum originally declared his candidacy for president during a speech in Fargo, North Dakota, last June. Seen as an underdog, the incumbent governor had two things going for him that could have helped him in his race for the White House and could potentially land himself as Trump’s number two: He is a sitting governor, which is the most common resume builder for previous presidents, and he has money.

His biggest disadvantage is that 99.8% of Americans don’t know who he is, The New York Times reported.

But not being very well-known is not new to Burgum. In fact, during his race for governor, most people didn’t know who he was. His 2016 election victory was a major upset, beating out former North Dakota Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem by more than 20 points after he was able to significantly outspend him while campaigning, according to the NYT.

Who is Doug Burgum?

Before Burgum was elected, he had not held elected office. In fact, he was a wealthy software entrepreneur. During the election, the NYT reported that the two-term governor benefited from Trump’s anti-establishment campaign message that influenced Republican voters to elect outsiders.

Burgum had humble beginnings as a shoeshine and chimney sweep. He lost his father when he was a freshman in high school. For college, he traveled to Stanford, California, where he earned a master’s degree in business administration.

After graduating from Stanford, Burgum returned to his home state of North Dakota, where he bought a stake in a fledgling financial software company, the NYT reported. In order to afford it, he mortgaged farmland that he had inherited. His company went public in 1997 and then was sold to Microsoft in 2001 for about $1.1 billion, the NYT reported.

Burgum maintained his business antics and founded two additional businesses: Kilbourne Group and Arthur Ventures.

As governor, Burgum has supported fossil fuels and carbon capture. One of his goals was to get North Dakota to carbon neutrality by 2030, the NYT reported.

A look at Burgum’s political career

In the past year, the governor signed eight anti-transgender laws and a ban on transition care for minors. He also signed one of the nation’s strictest abortion bans in April, contrasting himself with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.

Unlike DeSantis, Burgum defended face masks during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic and even vetoed a bill that would have prohibited state officials from mandating them.

And while most people don’t know who he is, Burgum is determined to make sure Americans know who he is.

During his presidential campaign, the two-term governor found creative ways to meet fundraising requirements to qualify for the first Republican presidential debate.

He reached his debate qualification goals by giving out $20 VISA and Mastercard gift cards that he called, “Biden economic relief cards,” in exchange for $1 donations.

In an op-ed in The Wall Street Journal, he said fixing the economy would be his top priority in the White House. He pointed to his record as governor passing reforms on pensions and lowering taxes and called for increasing domestic energy production and strengthening the value of the dollar around the world.

Border crisis and immigration

• Burgum deployed state National Guard members to the southern U.S. border to help with Texas’ Operation Lone Star
• He has visited the border and said securing it is a matter of national security
• North Dakota established an Office of Legal Immigration that is intended to help solve workforce challenges by helping businesses pursue legal immigrants to employ

Crime and criminal justice reform

• North Dakota implemented criminal justice reform under Burgum, including a bill to eliminate mandatory minimum sentences for some drug offenses
• At the first Republican debate, Burgum suggested “small-town values” could help reduce gun crime

Guns and mental health

• In 2021, Burgum signed a bill designating North Dakota as a “Second Amendment Sanctuary State,” reinforcing the state’s support for the right to bear arms
• At the second GOP debate, he said restrictive gun laws aren’t working and said the United States needs to address other areas like “family” and mental health

Stance on Israel and Palestine, the war in Ukraine

• Burgum supports military aid for Ukraine but told Forbes there can be no “blank check” for the country in its defense against invading Russian forces
• He would consider sending U.S. troops to Israel, Burgum said at a campaign event in October
• He criticized President Joe Biden’s administration for relying on Qatar to negotiate with Hamas to release hostages taken in the Oct. 7 attack on Israel

Economy, inflation and oil

• Says if elected he will lower inflation and gas prices, cut taxes and reduce the cost of living
• Wants America to be “energy independent” and reduce purchasing of foreign oil

Teacher shortage and pronouns

• Burgum signed an executive order in September creating a task force designed to address the state’s chronic teacher shortage
• He supports innovation as a means of improving student success
• Last year he signed a bill that outlaws pronoun policies in schools
• While he has championed school choice, he vetoed a bill in April that would have offset the cost for some families who send their children to private school

China, Taiwan and TikTok

• Burgum has said the United States is in a “cold war” with China
• He has called Chinese President Xi Jinping a “brutal dictator,” a characterization President Joe Biden has also made
• Burgum signed an executive order banning TikTok on state-owned devices
• At the first Republican debate, Burgum said China is the No. 1 issue the United States is facing and called for placing anti-ship missiles in Taiwan

Fentanyl crisis, opioid epidemic 

• Burgum has called for urgency in addressing the fentanyl epidemic, including strengthening border security
• Approved a bill that created a special penalty for illegal drug sellers and suppliers
• Emphasized the need to target China for providing precursor chemicals used to manufacture drugs in Mexico
• At a town hall in New Hampshire last year, Burgum said he would treat addiction and mental health as a health care issue

Climate change and energy production

• Announced a goal to make North Dakota a carbon-neutral state by 2030, using an “all-of-the-above” approach to energy production and rejecting federal mandates
• He said at a town hall last year that the U.S. Bureau of Land Management should allow energy-related activities on the 240 million acres of land it oversees

Abortion

• As governor, Burgum signed a law establishing a six-week ban on abortions
• However, he said at the first GOP debate he would not sign a national ban, ABC News reported

The Hill contributed to this report.