BISMARCK — North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum will serve as Donald Trump’s interior secretary, according to a statement from the president-elect.

Trump made the announcement Thursday, Nov. 14, at an America First Policy Institute gala at his Mar-a-Lago home in Palm Beach, Florida. Burgum, who attended the event, would succeed Interior Secretary Deb Haaland.

North Dakota would oversee the National Park Service, the U.S. Geological Survey, Fish and Wildlife Services and several bureaus, including Indian Affairs and Land Management.

Trump initially said he would formally announce Burgum’s message Friday morning. The video shows Trump teasing the announcement and saying he wouldn’t say Burgum’s name.

Trump said the person was married to a woman named Kathryn. Burgum is married to Kathryn Burgum.

“That might sound like Burgum,” Trump said. “He’s from North Dakota. He is going to be announced for a very big position. … In fact, he’s going to run the Interior Department, and he’s going to be fantastic.”

Burgum, 68, has served as governor of North Dakota since 2016. The Arthur, N.D., native decided not to seek a third term this year.

Patrick T. Fallon / TNS

Before his time in politics, Burgum led Great Plains Software, a technology startup that employed thousands of people in North Dakota. Microsoft bought the company in 2001.

Burgum also founded the Kilbourne Group, a real estate developer responsible for revitalizing much of downtown Fargo. He co-founded Arthur Ventures, which invests in software companies.

Trump, a Republican, defeated Vice President Kamala Harris, a Democrat who ran to succeed President Joe Biden, in the general election. Trump won the presidency in 2016, but lost his re-election bid to Biden in 2020.

Burgum also ran as a Republican in the 2024 election, but dropped out of the race in early December.

Since supporting Trump in January,

Burgum has

frequently traveled across the country to campaign

for the former president and attend other events. The Forum previously reported that Trump wanted the governor to be a

“very important element of his administration

“, but Trump never specified the position he envisioned for governor.

Burgum said Trump would be better for North Dakota and the United States than Biden and Harris, including on the economy, national security and energy policy. North Dakota is the nation’s third-largest oil-producing state and seventh-largest for coal, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.

Burgum has not always supported Trump. He told “Meet the Press,” a Sunday morning show on NBC News, that

he wouldn’t do business with Trump.

“I think it’s important that you’re judged by the company you keep,” Burgum said during the July 2023 NBC interview.

North Dakota was considered a top contender for Trump’s vice presidential nomination, but Trump chose

U.S. Senator JD Vance of Ohio.

Speculation about the role Burgum might play in the Trump administration has grown in recent months. His name has been suggested to be Secretary of State, Energy, Interior or Commerce.

Trump nominated U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida as secretary of state.

The Forum reported

that North Dakota’s congressional delegation believed Trump should create a position for Burgum that matched his management skills.