The room was packed as North Dakota Gov. and Republican presidential candidate Doug Burgum entered Jethro’s BBQ on Oct. 19. Signs filled the room with his slogan: “A new leader for a changing economy.”

His wife, Kathryn Burgum, introduced him to the crowd of about 80 people and told everyone how until seven years ago, her husband had spent his entire career in the private sector until one day, he came home and announced he was running for his home state’s governor. When he joined the running, he was polling 59% behind his opponent, the sitting attorney general who had 15 years of experience. Burgum ended up winning the primary.

Kathryn Burgum also shared some of her plans if she gets the title of first lady in the future and some information about her past.

“[I] never thought I’d be sharing publicly my story of my struggle with alcohol addiction and my recovery,” Kathryn Burgum said. “So I thought if I could have [that] at a national level, get the people together, convene the people that can really help solve problems that we have—like not having services and not great insurance coverage and the stigma we still live in places like health care—I thought, okay, I could be part of that process.”

Doug Burgum first spoke on the economy, energy policy and national security. He discredited President Joe Biden’s current policies on inflation.

“Inflation is chewing into every family’s income,” Burgum said. “It absolutely costs $700 more a month today than it did when Joe Biden took office to put food on your table and gas in your car.”

“I can’t figure it out. Why in the world would you try to kill the U.S. energy industry with regulations with new rulemaking?’’ Burgum said when introducing his stance on America’s place in energy.

Burgum added how as a country, he wants to have every drop of energy produced in America because Americans can do it “cleaner, safer and smarter than anywhere else in the world.”

While discussing the last topic of his stump speech, national security, Burgum stressed the importance of border security, adding that a lot of border patrol officers take early retirement if it’s offered to them.

“There’s only 19,600 people in the Border Patrol,” Burgum said. “How would I know that? Because I lead a border state, we have 365 miles of border with Canada.”

If Burgum is elected, Burgum said he already has a plan to deal with the crisis at the border.

“When I’m president, I will be down at the border in the first two weeks, not the first two years,” Burgum said. “We’ll be down there, and we’ll close the border.”

One of the audience members asked if Burgum was against the carbon pipeline in South Dakota and Iowa. Burgum responded by voicing his support for agriculture, oil and gas.

“I am on Team USA from an energy production standpoint […] I just say the free market is gonna sort it out,” Burgum said.

An audience member asked how Burgum plans to reunite the Republican party.

“We have an opportunity to lead, and I’m telling you when you fast forward to 2024 November, the Democrats will just be able to beat up on us, and it won’t be about policy … If you agree with someone 80% to 90% of the time, you’re on the same team,” Burgum said.

The candidate closed his speech by saying he is fighting for all Americans.

“I’m running because someone’s got to stand up and say, ‘This is what it’s going to take: a little common sense from the Midwest, from small town understanding, and small towns, neighbors help people,’” Burgum said. “That’s part of what happens. That’s the country I know, and that’s the country we can be.’’