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A new name has reportedly emerged as a favorite among the remaining potential running mates for former President Donald Trump.
In recent weeks, figures like South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem and South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott have been mentioned as potential finalists, though Trump is reportedly “disappointed” in Noem following her admission in an upcoming book that she killed a young dog of hers because it was attacking livestock on her family’s ranch.
“Now, reports have emerged that Trump may be eyeing North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum (R) as a possible vice-presidential pick. Burgum has emerged before in the swirling conversations about who would pack the most punch on a 2024 Trump ticket, but now, as the general election creeps closer, his name has generated a lot of media buzz,” Right Side Broadcasting Network (RSBN) reported.
Sources told Axios that Burgum is moving up the list after Trump and former first lady Melania Trump hosted Burgum and his wife at Mar-a-Lago for an Easter brunch. They also said that Trump has been mentioning Burgum a lot more in recent weeks to advisers.
“Two sources familiar with Trump’s thinking said he likes Burgum’s measured demeanor and his gubernatorial experience — and sees Burgum as reliable and low-drama,” Axios, which first reported the story, noted. “Those are similar to the traits Trump cited in 2016, when he tapped Mike Pence to be his running mate. At the time, Pence was Indiana’s governor.”
🚨Report: North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum is moving up Trump’s VP ladder. Trump likes his measured demeanor and his experience as Governor. Trump sees Burgum as reliable and low-drama. Trump’s team believes he would be a safe choice who could attract moderate voters.
Via Axios pic.twitter.com/dzQCHpEBcG
— The Calvin Coolidge Project (@TheCalvinCooli1) April 28, 2024
Gov. Doug Burgum: “Joe Biden’s weakness is what’s brought this all on … If President Trump was in office right now, and we were leading through strength abroad, we would not be seeing this on our campuses today.” pic.twitter.com/dvftMn0KdR
— The Post Millennial (@TPostMillennial) April 29, 2024
The outlet also noted that Burgum, who briefly ran a long-shot bid for the GOP nomination, has been campaigning for Trump, making appearances on conservative media outlets while stumping for his campaign.
“He most recently was in New Hampshire — where Nikki Haley received 43% of the vote in the GOP primary. Burgum went there at the Trump campaign’s request, and visited the campaign’s state headquarters among other stops,” Axios noted as well.
Meanwhile, a shocking new poll found that Trump has dramatically increased what had been a relatively small lead in national surveys over President Joe Biden.
In a survey by SSRS for CNN, Trump outperformed Biden by a startling 6 points (49–43 percent), well outside the margin of error, with 8% of respondents remaining undecided. Previously, Trump had led Biden by much smaller margins or was virtually tied with him, according to RealClearPolitics’ average of polling.
But all that changed in April — ironically, the same month that Trump’s first criminal trial began in Manhattan on 34 felony counts related to a hush money payment to adult film star Stormy Daniels, who admitted in a 2018 statement in a letter made public that she had not had an affair with the future president.
“And in the coming rematch, opinions about the first term of each man vying for a second four years in the White House now appear to work in Trump’s favor, with most Americans saying that, looking back, Trump’s term as president was a success, while a broad majority says Biden’s has so far been a failure,” the polling firm said in an analysis of its survey data.
“Republicans now are more unified around the idea that Trump’s presidency was a success than Democrats are that Biden’s has been one. Overall, 92% of Republicans call Trump’s time in office a success, while just 73% of Democrats say Biden’s has been a success so far. Among independents, 51% say Trump’s presidency was successful, while only 37% see Biden’s as a success,” the analysis continued.
In a five-way race with independent candidates Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Cornel West, and Green Party candidate Jill Stein, “Trump holds 42% to Biden’s 33%, with Kennedy at 16%, West at 4% and Stein at 3%. Kennedy draws 13% each from supporters of Biden and Trump in the initial two-way matchup,” the CNN poll found.
According to voters, the economy held greater significance “than they were in each of the past two presidential contests,” with 70 percent of all Americans expressing dissatisfaction with current economic conditions in the U.S. Additionally, other major issues varied considerably depending on party affiliation.
