Trump makes it official, announces North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum as Department of the Interior secretary

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Trump to tap Doug Burgum for interior secretary

During a speech at an America First Policy Institute Gala at Mar-a-Lago, President-elect Trump announced he has picked North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum to serve as secretary of the Department of the Interior.

President-elect Trump made it official on Friday, announcing that North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum will lead the U.S. Department of the Interior.

"I am thrilled to announce that Doug Burgum, the Governor of North Dakota, will be joining my Administration as both Secretary of the Interior and, as Chairman of the newly formed, and very important, National Energy Council, which will consist of all Departments and Agencies involved in the permitting, production, generation, distribution, regulation, transportation, of ALL forms of American Energy," Trump said in a news release Friday, fewer than 24 hours after he spilled the beans on Bergum's appointment during an America First Policy Institute and America First Works gala Thursday evening at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida.

The president-elect said in the statement that the newly formed National Energy Council "will oversee the path to U.S. ENERGY DOMINANCE by cutting red tape, enhancing private sector investments across all sectors of the Economy, and by focusing on INNOVATION over longstanding, but totally unnecessary, regulation."

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President-elect Trump attends the America First Policy Institute Gala held at Mar-a-Lago, Thursday, in Palm Beach, Fla. ( Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

In a X post following the announcement, Burgum said that he was "deeply grateful" for the nomination.

"I’m deeply grateful to President @RealDonaldTrump for this amazing opportunity to serve the American people and achieve ENERGY DOMINANCE!" he said.

Trump lauded Bergum on Thursday.  

"He's going to head the Department of Interior, and he's going to be fantastic," Trump said. "We're going to reduce regulation waste, fraud and inefficiency," Trump said. "We're going to clean out the corrupt, broken and failing bureaucracies. And we're going to stop child sexual mutilation. We're going to stop it because it's time."

North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum will lead the U.S. Department of the Interior. (AP/Charlie Neibergall)

Burgum, a multi-millionaire former software company CEO turned two-term governor, launched a White House bid in June 2023. 

Burgum made energy and natural resources a key part of his campaign for the GOP nomination.

After making the stage at the first two GOP presidential debates, Burgum failed to qualify for the third showdown, in autumn of last year, and he dropped out of the White House race last December. A month later, he appeared in Iowa with Trump and endorsed the former president for the GOP nomination, days ahead of the first-in-the-nation caucuses.

Former President Trump, left, listens as North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum speaks during a Nevada Republican caucus night watch party in Las Vegas, Feb. 8.  (Ian Maule/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Burgum became a high profile surrogate for the former president, appearing on the campaign trail and in media hits on Trump’s behalf.

He was in consideration as Trump’s running mate this past summer before Sen. JD Vance of Ohio was picked as the Republican Party’s vice presidential nominee.

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Burgum, in an interview with "Fox and Friends" last week, said Trump's election victory was "game changing" and that "we've got a new sheriff in town." 

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The governor added that a Trump victory also "means that America is going to be dominant in energy."

"America is going to be dominant in energy which is key to all the diplomacy we do all over the world," he said.