‘Shark Tank’ investor Kevin O’Leary is all-in for one of the top contenders to be former President Trump’s 2024 running mate.
In an interview on “Fox & Friends Weekend,” Mr. Wonderful gave a glowing endorsement of North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, who he said would be a “terrific” choice for Trump.
“I’ve been going to North Dakota for years now, and I’ve seen what he can do with execution skills. His track record is unbelievable in what he’s done for the state,” O’Leary said Saturday.
O’Leary shared how he met Burgum after a “Shark Tank’ deal brought him to Fargo years ago and that the governor convinced him to start investing in North Dakota.
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Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump arrives to speak at a caucus night rally in Las Vegas, Feb. 8, 2024, as North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum watches. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
“His track record is unbelievable in what he’s done for the state,” he said. “Very few Americans know that the richest citizens in the country for sovereign wealth are people that live in North Dakota. Doug Burgum did that.”
He suggested that Burgum is the executive whom Trump needs to implement his agenda, to be “the get-it-done guy.”
“I don’t see that skill set proven in any other candidate. So, I’m unabashedly supporting someone I know in business is a phenomenal leader.”
Trump has been tight-lipped about his prospective choice for the 2024 Republican presidential ticket. In a recent interview with Fox News’ Aishah Hasnie at the Republican National Committee headquarters in Washington, D.C., Trump said he has “sort of a pretty good idea” of who his vice presidential running mate will be, but that his selection probably won’t be announced until the RNC convention in August.
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Investor and TV personality Kevin O’Leary said that former President Trump should pick North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum to be his 2024 running mate. (Piers Morgan “Uncensored”)
The former president visited D.C. last week to meet with Republican lawmakers and unify the party ahead of the convention.
Asked whether his VP choice was among those he met with, Trump said, “Probably. I don’t want to go, but I think (it) will probably get announced during the convention.”
“There were some good people, and we have some very good people.”
The convention will be held from July 15 through 18 in Milwaukee.
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Doug Burgum, governor of North Dakota, speaks during a campaign event with former US President Donald Trump, in Laconia, New Hampshire, US, on Monday, January 22, 2024. (Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Several names have been reported as being on Trump’s shortlist. In addition to Burgum, there are Sen. J.D. Vance, R-Ohio and Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., from whom the Trump campaign formally requested documents for the VP vetting process earlier this month.
Others under consideration are Sens. Tom Cotton of Arkansas and Tim Scott of South Carolina, Reps. Byron Donalds of Florida and Elise Stefanik of New York, and retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson, who served as Housing and Urban Development secretary in the Trump administration.
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But Burgum is the clear choice for O’Leary.
“He’s pro-business, he’s pro-growth, he’s pro-innovation, he’s pro-entrepreneur. You would want that in every state. I know this sounds crazy, but if you’re a Democrat right now listening to this, you want Doug Burgum as vice president … he’s not partisan in any way when it comes to building the American economy up. He works with both sides all the time. That’s how you get stuff done.”
Fox News’ Aishah Hasnie and Fox News Digital’s Louis Casiano and Paul Steinhauser contributed to this report.
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