North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, who one year ago questioned if he would ever do business with former President Trump, opened up on now finding himself as a vice presidential contender in the 2024 campaign.

“[Trump’s] focused, he cares deeply about this country and this is a guy that you would want. You’d want him on your side when you’re fighting for this country,” Burgum told “Fox & Friends” co-host Brian Kilmeade at his ranch in an exclusive interview that aired Monday.

Burgum, a longtime software executive who propelled himself into politics, responded, “I don’t think so,” when asked about doing business with Trump in July 2023.

BURGUM TOUTS ‘MUCH CLOSER’ RELATIONSHIP WITH TRUMP WHILE STUMPING FOR FORMER PRESIDENT IN BATTLEGROUND STATE

“I just think that it’s important that you’re judged by the company you keep,” he told NBC’s Chuck Todd at the time.

Much has changed since he’s gotten to know the former president, however.

When asked that question again during the exclusive pre-recorded interview, Burgum told Kilmeade he would “absolutely” do business with Trump.

“I think of people like President Trump more as an elected leader than as a politician. I mean, he’s really good at understanding politics. But when the guy gets in, he’s leading and he’s leading from the framework of, ‘This is how this would make sense,’” he said.

Now they have teamed up against President Biden and hit the campaign trail to garner support for the GOP ahead of November’s election.

“Joe Biden’s wrong on all the issues that matter,” Burgum said during a live interview with Kilmeade at a West Fargo diner on Monday.

“You heard it here this morning in North Dakota – the border, the economy, inflation, national security. He’s got no answers on all those, and so they have to just turn around and try to attack President Trump about stuff that’s four years ago,” he continued.

The picture he painted of Biden starkly contrasted with the description he offered of Trump during the pre-recorded interview.

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Burgum’s wife, Kathryn, also joined the discussion while hosting “Fox & Friends” at their ranch, reflecting on her past struggles with alcohol addiction and becoming a “voice of recovery” in her role as the state’s first lady.

She argued her husband would provide “invaluable” support to the Trump administration, and he would serve as a strong second-in-command.

“That’s absolutely true,” she replied when asked to comment on claims that her husband would be a “steadying force” for Trump should he win in November. 

“He’s calm, he’s supportive, he’s caring. He’s such a great problem solver and super innovative, and I think that the support he can provide to the president would be invaluable. This country needs a strong leader and a strong partner with that leader,” she added.

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Kilmeade, shifting his questions back to the VP contender, asked if he would like to be selected for the job. 

Former President Trump has yet to select his running mate, but many speculations have been tossed around. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)

“I think the key thing for Kathryn and I has always been impact. We want to be in the spot where it can have the biggest impact,” he replied.

Other top Republicans being considered for Trump’s vice presidential role include Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio, Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Fla., and former Hawaii Democratic Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, who has since declared herself an independent.

The Detroit Lions have stacked their roster with several talented, gritty young NFL players who fit the culture head coach Dan Campbell and the front office is seeking to fill the locker room with.

In a recent ESPN ranking of each NFL teams’ under-25 talent, the Lions came in No. 2, only behind the Houston Texans.

Brad Holmes’ roster was the only NFL team listed that included five “blue-chip” players under the age of 25, including Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jahmyr Gibbs, Sam LaPorta, Penei Sewell, and Aidan Hutchinson.

“As you can tell by their placement on this list, the Lions aced the top of the past few drafts. We can certainly have some interesting arguments about positional value with the picks that Detroit made, but it’s hard to argue with the results,” writes Aaron Schatz. “Sewell was a first-team All-Pro last season and is 23 years old. LaPorta is also 23 and set an NFL record for catches by a rookie tight end (86). Gibbs and Brian Branch are just 22, while first-round rookie Terrion Arnold is likely to be an NFL starter at 21.”

Last week at the PGA Tour’s Rocket Mortgage Classic, Hutchinson expressed he feels this is the season the team puts it all together and wins a Lombardi Trophy.

“I feel with every fiber of my body, I feel like it’s the year,” Hutchinson told Brad Galli of WXYZ. Honestly, from this year on, every year is the year. With the guys that we have, I hope that we’re going to sustain the success for a long time.”

Detroit is also counting on other talented players to take strides forward in 2024, including Jameson Williams, Brian Branch, Jack Campbell and Arnold.

Additional reading

1.) ‘It’s All Football’: Aidan Hutchinson Discusses Offseason Goals, Plans

2.) Lions Should Be Featured In Offseason ‘Hard Knocks’

3.) Predicting Lions’ Offensive Breakout Players

4.) Lions ‘Not Interested’ in Signing Wideouts Prior to Training Camp