Trump picks Doug Burgum for Interior secretary
CNN
President-elect Donald Trump has chosen North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum to serve as his next secretary of the Department of the Interior.
President-elect Donald Trump has chosen North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum to serve as his next secretary of the Department of the Interior. Trump revealed his pick during a gala at his Mar-a-Lago resort Thursday evening, seemingly changing his mind in real time on when to make the announcement as he pointed to the Burgum in the audience. “I look forward to doing the formal announcement, although this is a pretty big announcement right now. Actually, he’s going to head the Department of Interior, and it’s going to be fantastic,” Trump said at the America First Policy Institute Gala. Burgum is a conservative second-term governor who challenged Trump for the 2024 GOP presidential nomination. Burgum avoided criticizing the former president on the trail but did not immediately endorse Trump when he suspended his long-shot campaign last December. In the role, Burgum would inherit the agency that oversees natural resources, public lands and Indian affairs from Secretary Deb Haaland, a former member of Congress who made history as the first Native American Cabinet secretary. Burgum, a former Microsoft executive, previously told CNN that he would not consider serving as a running mate for Trump or in a future Trump Cabinet.
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