North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum endorsed Donald Trump while appearing alongside the ex-president at a rally in Indianola, Iowa on Sunday.
Right as he was taking stage with his wife Kathryn, another outburst occurred after several protesters were able to make it into the rally site the day before the Iowa caucuses.
‘Four years ago, I was speaking on behalf of President Trump at the Iowa caucuses in Sioux City. And today I’m here to do something that none of the other presidential primary candidates have done – and that’s endorse Donald J. Trump,’ Burgum said.
The governor was among those running in the presidential primary, but he dropped out of the race in early December without endorsing anyone.
North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, alongside wife Kathryn’ endorsed Donald Trump at Sunday’s rally in Indianola, Iowa
Burgum said when Trump took office in 2017 that ‘everything changed’ from when President Barack Obama was in office.
He said ‘heartland’ states like Iowa and North Dakota were ‘respected’ again.
‘We had a friend and partner in the White House who understood us and wanted to see our states succeed versus being regulated out of business,’ the North Dakota leader said.
He added: ‘Now, I’ve had a chance as governor to see what the world is like under Joe Biden – and America needs an 180-degree change in the direction of where Joe Biden has taken us.’
Burgum was still in the race for the Republican presidential nomination up until December, when he did not qualify for the final Republican National Committee (RNC) debate.
He joined a crowded field for the race that thinned out to just six candidates by the Iowa caucuses – thought a few candidates are still in massive longshot status. This includes former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson and Texas-based businessman and pastor Ryan Binkley.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley and biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy are also still in the race and battling for second place against Trump.
Burgum’s endorsement comes during Trump’s final bid to Iowans to caucus for him on Monday in the first-in-the-nation primary contest.
The start of Burgum’s endorsement was interrupted by a protester who got into Trump’s remarks. She was the latest in a string of outbursts from climate activists who came to oppose the ex-president’s candidacy and call him a ‘climate criminal.’
The woman was escorted out by security after at least three others were also booted from the room for unfurling banners and yelling their environmentalist sentiments at the ex-president.
A protester was escorted out of the room as her outburst interrupted the start of Gov. Burgum’s endorsement of Donald Trump