In addition to running the Interior Department, Doug Burgum will also serve as energy czar and chair of a White House energy council.

Emails obtained by The Associated Press reveal Doug Burgum as North Dakota governor catered to the whims of oil and gas executives while leveraging those connections to expand his political profile.

Over two terms as governor of North Dakota, politics didn’t come naturally to Doug Burgum. Now the former tech executive is back in a more familiar kind of job.

Governor Kelly Armstrong already has a close relationship with President Donald Trump and his administration, recently having had dinner at Mar-A-Lago and attended the inauguration. He says he’s excited to work with the Republican supermajority in Washington,

Burgum, 68, was confirmed late Thursday night in a 79-18 vote with the majority of Senate Democrats voting in favor. The vote came one day after Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin was confirmed, making Burgum the eighth member of President Donald Trump ’s Cabinet to be confirmed.

Former Governor Doug Burgum’s nomination as Secretary of the Interior earned the support of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee Thursday in Washington, DC.

WASHINGTON, D.C. (North Dakota Monitor) – During Doug Burgum’s two terms as North Dakota governor, the state repeatedly sued the U.S. Department of the Interior, attempting to rip up rules that govern federal lands in his state and across the country.

Emails obtained by the Associated Press reveal Doug Burgum as North Dakota governor aided oil and gas executives and leveraged connections to boost his profile.

President Donald Trump continues to advance his agenda with executive actions ahead of a deadline to impose tariffs on imports from Canada and Mexico this weekend. Follow for live updates.

Trump was asked by reporters if oil would be included in his 25% tariffs on Canada and Mexico that are set to begin on Saturday. The president indicated that tariffs on oil are still on the table and said that he would make a determination Thursday night.

In a story published Jan. 28, 2025, about billionaires who are advisers to President Donald Trump, The Associated Press erroneously stated that Doug Burgum has an estimated net worth of