North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum: President Trump Right on Economy, Energy Policy, and National Security

North Dakota Governor and recent endorser of former President Donald Trump Doug Burgum joined Martha Raddatz on ABC News' "This Week" Sunday morning to discuss the 2024 presidential race.

Burgum, who was relatively unknown to the rest of the country prior to his entry into the 2024 GOP primary and participation in the early debates, suspended his campaign in early December. He announced his endorsement of Trump on the eve of the Iowa caucuses, and Trump praised the governor during his speech following the decisive victory in the Hawkeye State.

He's so solid and so good that he didn't catch on. Sometimes, being a little controversial is good. He's so perfect, although he did break his leg during the campaign — that wasn't so good. But it sort of stood out a little bit...He was outstanding, but the traction is never easy, right? You need controversy for traction sometimes, and this guy is the most solid guy. There's no controversy whatsoever. And he's one of the best governors in our country, and I hope that I'm going to be able to call on him to be a piece of the administration — a very important piece of the administration.

During his appearance with Raddatz on Sunday, Burgum emphasized the successes of Trump's presidency.

“During the time that Pres. Trump was in office, we had peace and prosperity in America," North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum tells @MarthaRaddatz after dropping out of the GOP presidential race and endorsing Donald Trump. https://t.co/mZziOU5z4z pic.twitter.com/MMP8b26XO1
— This Week (@ThisWeekABC) January 21, 2024

RADDATZ: Good morning, Governor. You spent more than $12 million of your own money to run for president, saying you had the best chance of pulling the country together. You are now endorsing Donald Trump. So, you believe he has the best chance of pulling the country together?
BURGUM: Well, Martha, I'm endorsing Donald Trump because I've had an opportunity to serve as governor under President Trump and under President Biden. President Trump and I were both elected on the same day back in November of 2016. I had endorsed him then; I endorsed him in 2020. And, as we know, during the time that President Trump was in office, I mean, we had peace and prosperity in America. And under President Biden, we've got chaos around the world. You know this better than anyone — you've traveled more, you know the countries. But, between the Middle East, Eastern Europe, what's going on with China, the world is on fire. And when I was campaigning, we were running on three things: the economy, on energy policy, and national security, and how those three things are all interrelated. And Joe Biden is taking us in the wrong direction on all of those —180 degrees in the wrong direction. And I'm confident that President Trump is going to be right on the economy, right on energy policy, and right on national security.

Raddatz pressed Burgum on Trump's "election denialism," but Burgum pushed right back.

When pressed by @MarthaRaddatz about endorsing former Pres. Trump despite his election denialism, North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum says, “Democracy doesn’t exist unless people can trust the outcome of an election.” https://t.co/TgbQe1Zlmo pic.twitter.com/BOQuyHm96l
— This Week (@ThisWeekABC) January 21, 2024

RADDATZ: Let’s talk about something else that is very important. Free and fair elections are the heart of our democracy. You have said that Joe Biden won the 2020 election. So, why would you support someone who falsely claims that the election was stolen over and over and over again?
BURGUM: Well, as you and I would both agree, free and fair elections are the foundation of our democracy. In states like North Dakota, we’ve got 100 percent confidence in that happening. But whether it’s 1960, the year 2000, 2016, there was -- there was concern raised by the — you know, the Hillary Clinton campaign 2020.
This is something, as a country, that we’ve got to work hard to face (ph). And I think we’re —
(CROSSTALK)
RADDATZ: But, Governor — but, Governor, you have — you have said the election wasn’t stolen and you’re supporting someone who says it was.
BURGUM: Well, I — I know that we’ve got — certainly, we’ve got irregularities. When we went through COVID, and we had these mail-out ballots, that creates all kinds of opportunities for mischief. When you’re mailing out more ballots to a — in a state than there are registered voters —
(CROSSTALK)
RADDATZ: Do you think the election was stolen now, sir?
BURGUM: — you know, I think average American voters, that’s a problem.
RADDATZ: Sorry, do you think the election was stolen now? Now when you look back?
BURGUM: No, I'm not saying that. But I'm just saying we — no, I'm not saying that. I'm saying that I think that we have to — going forward, we look forward. We have to make sure that Americans have confidence in these elections because we know that when — we know that the social media companies and the media companies have admitted that they suppressed stories leading into the November 2020 election, that they’ve admitted to all that.
And so, Americans lack confidence in this, and that’s why — that’s why we’ve got to make sure going forward that we have confidence. Democracy doesn’t exist unless people can trust the outcome of an election. (Credit: ABC News)

Raddatz also pressed Burgum as to Trump's mental acuity, but Burgum remained firm in his confidence in the former president and support for him in 2024.

When asked about former Pres. Trump’s age and mental acuity after gaffe on the campaign trail, North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum tells @MarthaRaddatz, “I know that he’s got the strength, he’s got the experience to lead.” https://t.co/JgKt3ZKWsi pic.twitter.com/Y6bbwSWmNq
— This Week (@ThisWeekABC) January 21, 2024

RADDATZ: I – I just want to say something quickly here. The campaign has made a huge issue of 81-year-old President Trump – President Biden’s age and mental acuity. But take a listen here to this clip of Donald Trump, the 77-year-old, when he confuses Nikki Haley and Nancy Pelosi.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP (R), FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT AND 2024 PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: They never report the crowd on January 6th. You know, Nikki Haley – Nikki Haley – Nikki Haley – you know they – did you know they destroyed all of the information, all of the evidence, everything. Deleted and destroyed all of it. All of it. Because of lots of things, like Nikki Haley is in charge of security. We offered her 10,000 people.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
RADDATZ: Your reaction to that?
BURGUM: Well, I – I've been on the campaign trail. And I know when you’re going around the clock it’s – it’s possible to, you know, to make – make – and on – say, use words that don’t fit into sentences. But I would say, you know, having been with the president last week in Iowa and in New Hampshire and watching him go for 20 hours a day, I know that he’s got – he’s got the strength, he’s got the experience to lead. And I think that if we’re going to have, you know, the gaffe tape, you know, run that this morning on Joe Biden, there wouldn’t be enough time on this show.
So, I think it’s a – again, this is the choice that America's going to have and – and right now I – focusing on the policy. The policies on the economy, energy, national security. The world was safer and more prosperous under – under President Trump.
And right now, the appeasement of Joe Biden, I mean, this looks like Neville Chamberlain's time, where the appeasement with Iran, I mean, funding Iran for – the terrorism that’s being funded by the Biden administration is putting Americans at risk around the world. And – and – and it’s a – whether it’s started with the failed withdrawal from Afghanistan, which you’re familiar with, you know, or our failed – our failed sanctions against Russia – we’ve turned Russia into China’s discount gas station and now, you know, Russia was the largest supplier of energy to China. And China – China’s importing 10 million barrels of oil a day. They’re the most dependent country in the world on –
RADDATZ: Governor –
BURGUM: – on energy and – and then here we're with a set of energy policies that are empowering our – our – our – our adversaries, Iran, Venezuela, and Russia. (Credit: ABC News)

Though there's still a long way to go before the nomination is cinched, Trump has made a savvy move in tapping Burgum, as well as former primary opponents Senator Tim Scott (R-SC) and Vivek Ramaswamy as surrogates on his behalf — not that it will move the needle for the Martha Raddatzes of the media world.