Burgum refuses to associate with Trump: ‘Your company reflects on you’

Gov. Doug Burgum: Choosing the Right Company

In a captivating Sunday interview, Gov. Doug Burgum (R-ND) made a bold statement, declaring that he would not engage in business with former President Donald Trump. When asked directly by Meet the Press host Chuck Todd if he would partner with the current front-running candidate for the 2024 Republican nomination, Burgum emphasized the importance of being judged by the company one keeps.

“I don’t think so,” Burgum responded. “I just think that it’s important that you’re judged by the company you keep.”

Burgum, who joined the race several months after Trump, believes that trust is built in every transaction. Drawing from his small-town upbringing, where his grandparents thrived in the grain elevator business, the North Dakota governor expressed his preference for doing business with Tesla CEO Elon Musk.

“Just look at business track records is what I would say, and that’s what I would take a peek at before I would make a decision about who you partner with,” Burgum explained, highlighting the disparity between Musk and Trump.

North Dakota elected both Burgum and Trump in 2016, with Burgum pledging his support to Trump during his gubernatorial campaign. The state reaffirmed its support for Trump in the 2020 election.

Burgum finds himself in a competitive race for the GOP presidential nomination, facing off against notable figures such as former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, former Vice President Mike Pence, Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC), Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL), Miami Mayor Francis Suarez, political commentator Larry Elder, businessman Perry Johnson, and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy.

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