Burgum hits the road as Trump's busiest surrogate
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North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum visits FOX Business Network's "The Big Money Show." Photo: Steven Ferdman/Getty Images
Donald Trump's campaign has sent North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum to at least 10 different states to campaign with or for the former president, Axios has learned.
Why it matters: The campaign's frequent deployment of Burgum to swing and Democrat-leaning states the Trump campaign wants to put in play has set Burgum apart from most other contenders to be Trump's running mate.
- Trump has said he plans to name his VP pick next month.
What we're watching: This week, Burgum will be in Michigan for a meet-and-greet with the Michigan Republican Party, and in Wisconsin to campaign for Trump-endorsed congressional candidate Tony Wied.
Zoom in: The visits will be the latest in a series of Trump campaign stops for Burgum, who briefly ran for president but quickly endorsed Trump after dropping out of the race in December:
- On March 9, Burgum spoke at the Collier County GOP dinner in Naples, Fla.
- On March 16, Burgum spoke at the Clark County GOP Party Convention in Nevada.
- On April 13, he spoke at a Virginia GOP Dinner.
- Twelve days later, Burgum spoke at a Cheshire County GOP dinner in New Hampshire.
- On May 12, he flew with the former president to a rally in Wildwood, N.J., and made brief remarks before Trump took the stage.
- On May 17, Burgum opened for Trump at a Minnesota GOP dinner.
- The next day, Burgum spoke at a Vermont GOP luncheon.
- On May 25, he spoke at the North Carolina GOP convention
- From June 6-8, Burgum accompanied Trump in California for fundraisers in San Francisco, Beverly Hills and Newport Beach. He later flew with Trump from California to Nevada.
Between the lines: After endorsing Trump, Burgum offered to do whatever he could to help the campaign.
- The former president's team got positive early feedback from state party officials about Burgum's speeches and his off-stage willingness to take selfies and engage with local activists.
- That led the campaign to start to dispatch him more and more often, two people familiar with the situation tell Axios.
- Notably, Burgum has been sent to Virginia and Minnesota, Democratic-leaning states the Trump campaign thinks it might be able to flip.
The big picture: For now, the campaign is happily taking advantage of each of the eight or so VP contenders' strengths as well as their willingness to speak up for Trump.
- Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.), a prolific money raiser, is hosting a policy summit on Wednesday with billionaires Ken Griffin and Bill Ackman that will double as a fundraiser for Trump. Griffin and Ackman both supported Trump's rivals in the primaries.
- Sen. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio) has been involved with prep for next week's presidential debate in Atlanta, a person familiar with the matter told Axios.
- A lawyer and author, Vance is widely seen being able to articulate the "why" behind Trump's policy proposals, which include a dramatic expansion of presidential authority.
What they're saying: "As President Trump has said himself, the top criteria in selecting a Vice President is a strong leader who will make a great President for eight years after his next four-year term concludes," Trump campaign senior advisor Brian Hughes told Axios.
- "But anyone telling you they know who or when President Trump will choose his VP is lying unless that person is named Donald J. Trump."
