What to know North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, tapped by Trump to run the Interior Department
BISMARCK, N.D. — Former President Donald Trump has selected North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum to head the Interior Department. Some things to know about the two-term Republican governor of a sparsely populated state:
Burgum, 67, grew up in tiny Arthur, North Dakota, population 328. He earned a bachelor’s degree from North Dakota State University and his master’s degree in business administration from Stanford University Graduate School of Business.
He became a wealthy software manager. He led Great Plains Software, which Microsoft acquired for $1.1 billion in 2001. Burgum remained vice president until 2007. He has also led other real estate development and venture capital companies.
In 2016, Burgum ran for governor, his first campaign for elected office. He praised a message from ‘reinventing’ government because the state faced a huge revenue shortfall.
In the event of a major disruption, Burgum defeated North Dakota’s longtime attorney general in the Republican gubernatorial primary. He handily won his first term in the heavily Republican state, which has a population of about 784,000.
He was easy re-elected in 2020.
Burgum has taken a business-oriented approach as governor of North Dakota, where agriculture and oil are the major industries. He is pushed income tax cuts, reduced regulations and changes in livestock farming laws the administration of higher education. Burgum also emphasized a “data-driven” approach to governing, advocating for one Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library in the state and prioritized engagement with tribal nations.
Burgum and his wife Kathryn have made her recovery from addiction public, and as governor he has made it a priority resources for addiction care.
Burgum is known as a policy wonk who works long hours and is very eager to learn.
He has largely resisted delving into social issues such as anti-LGBTQ measures under pressure from members of his own party, vetoing a number of such bills in 2021 And 2023. But also in 2023, while he was planning a run for president, he signed a stack of bills that opponents said targeted transgender people. They include a ban on gender affirmation medical treatments for transgender children, sports bans for transgender athletes and transgender disabilities in schools.
Burgum ran for president from June to December 2023. He campaigned on the priorities of energy, economy and national security, but fell out after his offer failed to gain traction.
He participated in two Republican debates – including the first, which he attended afterward pain in his Achilles tendon play basketball. He drew attention to his campaign offer $20 gift cards to people who would donate $1 to his campaign so he would have enough individual donors to carry the debate.
In January, before the Iowa caucuses, he supported Trump. The same month, he refused to search a third term as governor.
When he took office in December 2016, he had to deal with the last months of sometimes chaotic times protests of the Dakota Access oil pipeline. He led the state through it terrible droughts And paralyzing storms.
He was the face of North Dakota’s response to the coronavirus pandemic, holding dozens of press conferences in early 2020, many daily, including an emotional plea about face masks. Him and his wife received publicly their COVID vaccinations in 2021.
Last year, during his presidential campaign, Burgum a special session is convened for the legislature to tackle a budget mess weeks after the state Supreme Court declared a crucial bill invalidputting some of the state funding at risk.