North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum, who suspended his White House bid early last month, endorsed former President Donald Trump on the eve of the first-in-the-nation Iowa caucuses.
Standing on the stage in Indianola flanked by his wife, Kathryn, and Trump, Burgum contended on Sunday that Iowa and North Dakota are “heartland states” that were “respected” during the Trump administration that wanted to see them thrive as opposed to “being regulated out of business.”
The United States needs to take a “180 degree change in the direction” that President Joe Biden is leading the country, Burgum added. He said Biden has been “wrong” on the economy, energy, and national security.
Former presidential candidate Gov. Burgum endorses former President Trump. pic.twitter.com/Vc1YpD5hN9
— CSPAN (@cspan) January 14, 2024
After touting some of Trump’s work in office, including cutting red tape “like no president has ever done before,” Burgum predicted that Trump will “deliver energy dominance” in a second term.
“Under President Trump, America was safe and prosperous. And tomorrow when you caucus, you have an opportunity to send a message to the nation and send a message to the world: that Donald J. Trump will make America great again,” Burgum concluded.
Heading into the GOP Iowa caucuses on Monday, Trump boasts a commanding lead over his remaining GOP rivals in the state despite facing a flurry of criminal cases and ballot access challenges.
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Trump’s remaining rivals include Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, former United Nations Ambassador and South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley, entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, former Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson, and Texas pastor Ryan Binkley.
Burgum suggested during his remarks on Sunday that he would be the first presidential primary candidate to endorse Trump this election cycle, but fellow long-shot GOP hopeful Larry Elder did just that when he ended his campaign in October, as did Michigan businessman Perry Johnson that same month.
Last week, former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie became the latest GOP hopeful to drop out of the 2024 race. He took the opposite approach to Trump than did Burgum.
“I am going to make sure that in no way do I enable Donald Trump to ever be president of the United States again,” Christie said. “And that’s more important than my own personal ambitions.”