Shark Tank star Kevin O’Leary has revealed his pick for Donald Trump’s vice president, as suspense mounts over who will join him in the 2024 bid.
Speaking exclusively to DailyMail.com, the investor praised North Dakota governor and former businessman Doug Burgum as a potential buffer for the often unpredictable former president.
‘If you’re an independent and you think Trump is too crazy, but then you have Burgum in the package, then you have some “Trump insurance.” This is how I think they are going to sell it,” he stated.
Burgum, 67, recently emerged as one of the few prominent contenders for the role of the former president’s running mate in this year’s election.
The pick will be announced at the Republican National Convention next month, Trump confirmed this week.
Shark Tank star Kevin O’Leary has revealed his pick for Donald Trump’s vice president, as suspense mounts over who will join him in the 2024 bid.
Burgum had a career in technology and consulting before successfully running for governor of his home state in 2016.
In the 1980s he developed a small technology company called Great Plains Software, which he later sold to Microsoft in 2001 for more than $1 billion.
He has an estimated net worth of at least $100 million, according to Forbes, although he is a relatively unknown and largely unproven figure on the national stage. He launched a presidential campaign in 2024 that received little attention.
Burgum may be a “dark horse” candidate for Trump’s running mate, but he has “incredible execution skills because he comes from business in the state of North Dakota,” O’Leary said.
‘He’s so firm and so direct with a real track record. So you get the bombastic Trump and then you get the confident Burgum Trump. A little bit of Ying and a little bit of Yang.’
If he were to choose Burgum as his running mate, O’Leary suggested it would be the first time the vice president has been billed as someone who will implement policies.
“Nobody usually cares about the vice president in terms of how he affects politics,” he added.
“But what’s unique about this election is that it’s taking on importance because of the longevity issues surrounding both presidential candidates.”
Kevin O’Leary has praised vice presidential hopeful Doug Burgum (pictured) as a “Trump lock”
For O’Leary, the number one problem for the American people is inflation.
‘So energy security is up there and border security is up there. “That’s another thing with Burgum, Trump could ask him to fix these problems and he could run him and solve it.”
When it comes to energy, O’Leary maintains that Burgum has a strong track record in his home state of North Dakota.
‘He is the energy governor. He’s the guy who made North Dakota one of the richest states per capita in America. There are only about 750,000 people there, but he put energy at the top of the list.
‘One of the largest untapped oil reserves on Earth is located in Alaska. How could royalties on that be used to reduce the national debt?
“And that’s what people in Washington are talking about: Could he be the one to implement these kinds of policies in Trump’s insurance program?”
Last week, Trump narrowed his search for a vice presidential nominee to just seven contenders and began soliciting information from each.
Running alongside Burgum are Marco Rubio of Florida, Ohio Sen. JD Vance and Tim Scott of South Carolina, according to campaign sources cited by Fox News.
Florida Rep. Byron Donalds, New York Rep. Elise Stefanik and Trump’s rival turned 2016 Cabinet member Ben Carson were also said to be on the list — a group of seven who will be vetted after completing the forms, two others said.
Burgum may be a “dark horse” as a candidate for Trump’s running mate, but he has “incredible execution skills because he came from business in the state of North Dakota,” O’Leary said (Burgum and Trump at a rally in Las Vegas in February)
The paperwork sent to each reportedly varies, one of the sources said, as representatives for each of the rumored candidates did not respond to requests for comment.
Meanwhile, his advisers have warned that Trump’s list is non-concrete and constantly evolving and that, at the end of the day, the decision will ultimately be up to him.
“Anyone who claims to know who or when President Trump will pick his vice president is lying,” Trump campaign spokesman Brian Hughes said in a statement.
He quickly added: “Unless the person’s name is Donald J. Trump.”