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With just a matter of months to go until he formally accepts the Republican presidential nomination in July, President Trump is reportedly narrowing down his vice-presidential shortlist.
While no one can be sure who the 45th president is truly considering as his running mate, some reports over the past few months have speculated that conservative powerhouse names like South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem (R) and South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott (R) have been seriously considered.
At one point, Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was even rumored to be shortlisted, but Trump’s campaign strongly shot down that rumor, calling it “FAKE NEWS.”
Now, reports have emerged that Trump may be eyeing North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum (R) as a possible vice-presidential pick. Burgum has emerged before in the swirling conversations about who would pack the most punch on a 2024 Trump ticket, but now, as the general election creeps closer, his name has generated a lot of media buzz.
According to a report from Axios, Burgum could be valuable on the ticket because of his “measured demeanor and his gubernatorial experience.” Gov. Burgum is also independently wealthy, which could be another alluring factor to Trump, whose financial independence has allowed him to function without being pressured by lobbyists or deep-pocketed political influencers.
Gov. Burgum is currently serving his second term as North Dakota’s Republican governor. He briefly ran for president in the GOP nomination race but dropped out early. In January 2024, he endorsed President Trump while on the campaign trail in Iowa.
“America needs a 180-degree change in the direction that Joe Biden has taken us,” he stated in his endorsement of the president.
Per Axios, Gov. Burgum and his wife Kathryn reportedly attended President Trump and First Lady Melania Trump’s Easter Brunch earlier this year, further heightening the buzz around his potential position as a contender to be the president’s running mate.
