Former President Donald Trump praised North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, who has been seen as a possible GOP vice presidential contender, during his rally in New Jersey on Sunday and told a crowd to “get ready for something.”
Mr. Burgum spoke before the large crowd in New Jersey in what appears to be a sign that he’s vying for the No. 2 spot on a Trump presidential ticket. The governor launched a long-shot bid for the presidency last year before dropping out several months later, although he appeared at several debates.
“Working with President Trump as a governor was like having a beautiful breeze at your back,” the Republican governor said, adding that current federal regulations are unworkable. He also made reference to “inflation, regulation, crime, wars, sham political trials, and open borders” before suggesting that President Trump would be able to fix those problems.
When he took the stage, the 45th president praised Mr. Burgum as “incredible” and told the audience to “get ready for something,” without elaborating. “He made his money in technology, but he probably knows more about energy than anybody I know,” President Trump said, again without elaborating.
He added: “So get ready for something, OK? Just get ready,” according to footage of the event posted online.
The former president, however, has publicly praised several top Republican politicians—including Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.), Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.), and Sen. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio—who have been suggested as possible vice presidential picks. However, he has given no indication regarding who he might select and appears to be in no hurry to do so.
Mr. Scott and Ms. Stefanik have both spoken at President Trump’s campaign rallies this year.
“I like her a lot,” the former president also remarked in the interview, adding, “I don’t want to comment on anybody on the list.”
His former vice president, Mike Pence, is highly unlikely to be selected after President Trump wrote on social media in January 2021 that he failed in his duty to protect the integrity of the 2020 presidential election by certifying the results in favor of presidential candidate Joe Biden. The two have been publicly critical of one another ever since, with Mr. Pence launching an unsuccessful White House bid himself.
On Saturday, President Trump wrote on Truth Social that former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, who served in his administration before she also launched a presidential bid that ended in March, is “not under consideration for the V.P. slot, but I wish her well!”
The former president, meanwhile, has told reporters that he likely won’t make his vice presidential announcement before the Republican National Convention in July.
The rally in the Jersey Shore area of New Jersey comes as the former president is currently on trial over allegations that he falsified business payments to influence the outcome of the 2016 election. Prosecutors say that he paid a former adult performer $130,000 through his former lawyer Michael Cohen in order for her to not speak publicly about an alleged affair she says they had in 2006, which the former president denies.
The judge in the case, Juan Merchan, also placed a gag order on President Trump in March, prohibiting him from speaking about potential witnesses, court staff, prosecutors’ staff, and members of the jury. Judge Merchan expanded the order to cover members of his own family after President Trump wrote on social media that that the judge is conflicted in the case because his daughter worked as a Democratic Party consultant.
The order allows the former president to speak about Judge Merchan, who he has frequently criticized, and District Attorney Alvin Bragg. During the rally, the former president admonished the district attorney multiple times for bringing the charges, to which he has pleaded not guilty.
Last week, President Trump’s attorneys asked the judge to allow the former president to respond to Stormy Daniels, the porn performer, after she made allegations against him during the trial. The judge denied his request and also denied another request to declare a mistrial over her remarks.
