Gov. Doug Burgum (R-ND) said he would not do business with former President Donald Trump in a Sunday interview.
The 2024 Republican hopeful said that he thinks “it’s important that you’re judged by the company you keep,” after Meet the Press host Chuck Todd asked him directly whether he would partner with the current front-running candidate.
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“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 entered the race some seven months after Trump did, said he believes that trust is built in “every transaction,” explaining that he comes from a small town where the grain elevator business was booming for his grandparents. The North Dakota governor said he would prefer to do 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 said in trying to explain the difference between Musk and Trump.
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North Dakota elected Burgum and Trump in 2016. As a gubernatorial candidate, Burgum promised his support to Trump before he became the GOP nominee. The state voted for Trump again in 2020.
Burgum is also facing off against 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 in the race to win the GOP presidential nomination.
