Pat Finken, longtime Republican political strategist, said he hasn’t talked to Burgum, but he believes the governor would like to become Trump’s secretary of state so he can position himself for a White House run in 2028. “You can kind of tell because he’s been doing some of these international trips recently,” Finken said.

Gov. Doug Burgum, who endorsed Trump after ending his own presidential campaign and was a contender for Trump’s vice president, has downplayed the speculation about the potential for him to serve in the new administration.

President-elect Trump is looking toward North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum (R) as a potential “energy czar,” a source with knowledge of the matter confirmed to NewsNation on Friday. The source said the position could entail increasing the nation’s fossil fuel production,

North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum speaks in the spin room, ahead of the debate between Republican presidential nominee and former U.S. President Donald Trump and Democratic presidential nominee and U.