I haven’t seen anyone asking serious questions about North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum. Instead, those in charge of vetting Donald Trump’s potential vice presidential pick seem to be relying on voters’ impressions of an affable Midwest guy. But some North Dakotans who know better can’t stand the thought of Bill Gates’ friend anywhere near the White House.
To be fair, Burgum, a top surrogate for Trump, has a super cool self-made-man story. Chimney sweep, bet the farm and won, worked his way up and became friends with his boss at Microsoft, sold his company for $1.1 billion and stayed on to help things along.
The problem is with the vetting.
It would be nice to have confidence that the vetting went beyond mere Wiki searches and phone calls to people who have been employed by the guy.
He seems folksy. Genuine. He wore jeans to his inauguration and emceed the event himself like a Ted Talk.
Burgum’s Record During Covid
But why doesn’t anyone ask how he really did in his state during Covid? South Dakota and Florida governors’ performances were certainly pored over, but Burgum gets a pass.
He financed and promoted a tracking app for North Dakotans with Covid. One month after the Covid panic hit the state, Burgum announced a partnership with the North Dakota Department of Health and an in-state developer known for creating the Bison Tracker app. He repeatedly pushed the people of his state to use Care19, an app that “more efficiently and effectively” identified people who might have been in contact with others who had tested positive.
I doubt President Trump would be thrilled by these surveillance efforts.
Burgum’s Lack of Endorsement
Burgum has
