Former President Donald Trump has been endorsed by former fellow GOP presidential candidate and North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum and Florida Sen. Marco Rubio prior to today's Iowa caucus.
Burgum, who suspended his candidacy for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination in early December, threw his support behind Trump during a Sunday campaign stop with the former President.
The North Dakota governor compared his experience governing Iowa during the Obama administration with the Trump administration and said Iowa and his home state were "respected" during Trump's tenure in office. Burgum said he didn't want to see Iowa and North Dakota "regulated out of business," adding the country needed a "180-degree change in direction" away from policies proposed by President Joe Biden.
"Today, I'm here to do something that none of the other presidential primary candidates have done, and that's endorse President Donald J. Trump for the President of the United States of America," Burgum announced. “Under President Trump, America was safe and prosperous. And tomorrow when you caucus, you have an opportunity to send a message to the nation and send a message to the world: that Donald J. Trump will make America great again."
Burgum criticized President Joe Biden's handling on energy, the economy, and national security.
"Biden's inflation has raised the cost of food you put on your table, it's raised the cost of gas you put in your car," Burgum said. "That's what happens when we put someone in the White House like Joe Biden. Unlike President Trump, when we put someone in the White House who's never created a job in the private sector."
The North Dakota governor lauded Trump's border protection, tax cuts, economy, and praised his cutting of red tape for business regulation.
Rubio, who previously ran against Trump in the 2016 Republican presidential primary, also endorsed the former president for re-election on Sunday in an X post.
“When Trump was in WH I achieved major policies I had worked on for years (like expanded Child Tax Credit & tough sanctions on regime in Cuba & Venezuela) because we had a President who didn’t cave to special interests or let bureaucrats block us,” Rubio wrote. “I support Trump because that kind of leadership is the ONLY way we will get the extraordinary actions needed to fix the disaster Biden has created. It’s time to get on with the work of beating Biden & saving America!”
"I support Trump because that kind of leadership is the ONLY way we will get the extraordinary actions needed to fix the disaster Biden has created," Rubio continued. "It's time to get on with the work of beating Biden and saving America!"
Fellow Florida Sen. Rick Scott also threw support behind Trump in November.
According to RealClearPolitics, Trump holds a commanding 49.4-point lead over GOP runner-up and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley. Fellow Republican presidential candidate and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis trails Haley by 1.3 points, per the polling aggregator.
