Insiders say Burgum's tears could rule him out as VP race heats up

Doug Burgum's (pictured) looks, loyalty and business prowess have propelled him to the top of Donald Trump's list of potential vice presidents. But does the North Dakota governor have a fatal flaw? Ever since announcing his run for the governor's residence in 2016, his public appearances have been characterized by a tendency to choke up.

His eyes have turned watery as he talked about the loss of his father and about pandemic masking policy. His mouth has turned down and his words have ground to a halt during televised town halls and newspaper editorial board meetings alike. And he has fought back tears, his lips trembling, when discussing the power of gratitude as well as the destructive potential of meth-addiction.

That human face might help him connect with the voting public but it could undermine his chances with the one person who will decide whether or not he becomes Trump's running mate. The former president famously sees it as a sign of weakness in men. 'I just don't think men crying in public fits the Trump image or the moment,' said conservative broadcaster and Trump confidant John Fredericks. And you don't just have to take his word for it.

In Tim O'Brien's 2005 biography 'TrumpNation: The Art of Being the Donald,' Trump himself was quoted saying: 'I don't believe in crying. It's just not my thing. I have nothing against it when someone cries, but when I see a man cry I view it as a weakness. I don't like seeing men cry.' Burgum is among four 'finalists' reportedly being considered by Trump. The other three are Sens. Marco Rubio, Tim Scott and J.D. Vance.

Vance trounced the others in a straw poll of conservatives at the weekend but insiders say Burgum may have the edge in Trump's eyes as the only one who would not try to 'out-MAGA' his boss or steal the limelight. Burgum has not actually wept in public, but he has come very close. In his first State of the State address as governor in 2017 it took only until the second minute to choke up. 'I've personally experienced the power of gratitude, and I've watched it change outcomes, change organisations,' he said, his voice cracking and slowing, 'and I've watched gratitude change lives.'

It happened again later in the speech, as he told the story of a homeless meth addict. His bottom lip trembled as fought back tears while describing how the 19-year-old slept handcuffed to a homemade bicycle for fear it would be stolen. In 2020, he teared up when appealing to North Dakotans not to make pandemic masks a political issue. 'If someone is wearing a mask they're not doing it to represent what political party they're in or what candidates they support. They might be doing it because they've got a five year old child who's been going through cancer treatments ... ' he says before coming to a halt, fighting back tears. 'They might have vulnerable adults in their life who currently have COVID they're fighting and so again.'

Local newspaper the Forum noted his emotional delivery during an editorial board meeting in 2017. 'Burgum's voice swelled with emotion twice, once when relating the story of a Native American elder who told him drug abuse was her community's biggest problem,' it wrote. 'The other time came as he discussed the [self-murders] of two children under the age of 14 on the Turtle Mountain Reservation.'

Expressing emotion might be human in those situations, but those who know Trump say he believes the president and his VP should broadcast strength not frailty. 'There's no secret he views crying as a sign of weakness in men,' he said. 'You are talking about a guy who is a lot warmed behind the scenes than he is publicly and there's been times where staff in the past recommended showing a little bit more of that warmth, publicly. And there's a reason he just doesn't really like doing it.'

The issue famously came up with one of Trump's picks for the Supreme Court when Brett Kavanaugh broke down under Senate questioning about allegations of sexual assault. 'I wonder how #45 is reacting to Kavanaugh’s crying,' tweeted Omarosa Manigault-Newman, a former Apprentice contestant who followed Trump to the White House.

For its part the Trump campaign rubbished speculation about who the former president would pick for VP. Brian Hughes, senior adviser, said: 'As President Trump has said himself, the top criteria in selecting a vice president is a strong leader who will make a great President for eight years after his next four-year term concludes. But anyone telling you they know who or when President Trump will choose his VP is lying unless that person is named Donald J. Trump.' A spokesman for Burgum did not respond to a request for comment.

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