North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum was a surprise guest on former president Donald Trump’s “Trump Force One” campaign plane Saturday, joining the presumptive GOP nominee as he flew over a massive Jersey Shore crowd gathering for an oceanside rally.
Burgum, rumored to be on Trump’s vice presidential shortlist, and his wife Kathryn remained behind on the plane to speak privately with Trump before he stepped out on the tarmac.
The Trump campaign set a high bar for the event in Wildwood, New Jersey, as officials told The Post they believed 80,000 supporters would descend on the beach for their candidate’s first major rally in the New York area by the president since 2020.
The Post was the only news outlet on board Trump’s plane as it flew from New York’s LaGuardia airport into Atlantic City.
Hundreds of people set up camp overnight on the resort’s famed boardwalk, NJ.com reported, as fans traveled hours to attend.
“I think this country needs him back, because I don’t think this country can survive another four years of Democratic rule,” Chris Mitchell of Sussex County, NJ told the outlet.
Thousands more arrived early Saturday morning to set up pre-rally tailgate parties, adding to the breezy day’s festival atmosphere.
“Feel the energy here,” Rep. Jeff Van Drew (R-NJ) told Fox News. “Tens of thousands of people that know we have to do better, that this is the greatest nation on the face of the earth, and that we can do better.”
