Donald Trump Picks Doug Burgum to Lead Department of the Interior

North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum has been tapped to lead the Department of the Interior under President-elect Donald Trump’s second administration.
Trump on Thursday night announced during an America First Policy Institute gala at his Mar-a-Lago estate that he plans to formally announce Burgum’s appointment on Friday. The president-elect said that he and Burgum “are going to do things with energy and with land, that is going to be incredible.”
“He’s going to head the Department of Interior and he’s going to be fantastic,” Trump said toward the end of his remarks.
Burgum ran for the 2024 GOP presidential nomination but dropped out in December 2023. The following month, he endorsed Trump while appearing on stage with him at a rally in Iowa.
Trump has wasted no time in filling out his next administration following his decisive election victory last week. Burgum, who has served as governor since 2016, is viewed as more of a traditional conservative compared to some of Trump’s other picks this week, like Florida Representative Matt Gaetz for attorney general or Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for Health and Human Services secretary.
As head of the Department of the Interior, Burgum will oversee nearly 70,000 federal employees tasked with managing the country’s public lands, natural resources and federal trust responsibilities to Indigenous tribes. The department is also in charge of conserving endangered species and other environmental efforts.
Burgum was reportedly on Trump’s shortlist for a potential running mate before the president-elect picked JD Vance, a Republican senator from Ohio. Burgum was also touted as a potential pick for Trump’s so-called “energy czar” role, according to a report from Politico’s E&E News earlier this week.
Trump has repeatedly praised Burgum while on the campaign trail, including telling supporters at a rally in May, “You won’t find anybody better than this gentleman in terms of his knowledge—you know, he made his money in technology but he probably knows more about energy than anybody I know.”
Burgum has approached energy policy in a more environmentally friendly way than his Republican colleagues. In 2021, he set a goal for North Dakota to become carbon neutral by 2030. He also formed his state’s Department of Environmental Quality in 2017 shortly after being elected into office.
Burgum also has ties to the oil industry, including by serving as a liaison between Trump and industry tycoons whom the president-elect was pushing to fund his reelection campaign, per a June report from The New York Times.
Newsweek reached out to Burgum’s office via email for comment Thursday night.
Burgum’s nomination was praised by North Dakota Senator Kevin Cramer, who wrote on X, formerly Twitter, on Thursday night, “The best pick yet! Congrats @GovDougBurgum and @realDonaldTrump!”
Kelly Armstrong, North Dakota’s congressman at large, also responded to news of Burgum’s nomination, writing on X, “Spectacular news.”
Trump’s former interior secretary, David Bernhardt, also congratulated Burgum on Thursday.
“[Trump]’s excellent choice reflects his commitment to American energy independence,” Bernhardt wrote to X. “Burgum’s expertise will help lower energy costs for families, cut needless red tape, and restore U.S. energy dominance while balancing conservation efforts. A win for all Americans!”
Update 11/14/24, 10:17 p.m. ET: This article has been updated with additional information and background.