Rupert Murdoch has launched a campaign to persuade Donald Trump to choose North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum as his running mate and is lobbying against Senator JD Vance.
The retired media mogul reportedly called the former president regularly to personally urge him to choose Burgum, and sent surrogates and staff to Mar-a-Lago to help him advocate for his position.
The 93-year-old billionaire endorsed Ron DeSantis to be the next Republican in the White House, but his poor performance in the primaries caused him to withdraw before Super Tuesday.
When it became inevitable that Trump would become the nominee, Murdoch went to work behind the scenes to put his stamp on the GOP ticket.
As the race for running mate intensified, he used his American publications to promote his campaign.
Rupert Murdoch has launched a campaign to have Donald Trump choose North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum as his running mate and is lobbying against Senator JD Vance
The Wall Street Journal supported Burgum, and the New York Post also wrote editorials praising the governor, who had kept a relatively low profile before running for president.
A source confirmed to DailyMail.com that Murdoch has invested a large portion of Trump’s vice presidency.
Donald is expected to announce his choice at the Republican Party convention next week, and he has already previewed his slate of candidates.
Burgum, Vance and Senator Marco Rubio of Florida are the favorites, while Tim Scott of South Carolina is also a contender.
Murdoch’s lobbying effort, first reported by NOT USincluded multiple calls in one day.
It is likely that his plan will encounter major obstacles.
Trump likely won’t forget the glowing coverage Murdoch’s news organizations gave DeSantis in supporting him early in the race.
The retired media mogul reportedly called the former president regularly to personally urge him to choose Burgum and sent surrogates and staff to Mar-a-Lago to help him make the case.
Rupert Murdoch, 93, with his new wife Elena Zhukova, 67, a retired Russian biologist. The couple married in June
That didn’t work, as DeSantis was overwhelmed by Trump’s victories in the primary elections in the early states.
A Fox News communications consultant told NOT US: ‘Rupert has always regarded Trump as subordinate to him.
“And that bothers him. He’s not looking forward to another four years of kissing Trump’s ass. They don’t want Trump on Fox, so they bring in Burgum and groom him for the next four years and make him president.
Rupert Murdoch attends the annual Allen and Co. Sun Valley Media and Technology Conference in Idaho, pictured on Tuesday
“That’s his way of putting an end to Trumpism.”
A Trump adviser said, “Through his media channels, they are pursuing the exact same policies against JD and in support of Burgum that they did against DJT and in support of DeSantis during the primaries.”
When Trump first ran for president in the 2016 general election, he was a regular guest on Fox News.
Murdoch and his media empire were seen as the driving forces behind his nomination and his victory over Hillary Clinton.
Since then, their relationship has been anything but cordial and has only deteriorated since January 6 and the lawsuit against Dominion Voting Systems, which left Murdoch paying $787 million in damages.
The 93-year-old billionaire endorsed Ron DeSantis to be the next Republican in the White House, but his poor performance in the primaries caused him to withdraw before Super Tuesday.
JD Vance is one of the favorites in the race to become Trump’s running mate, which he will announce next week
During the trial, internal communications from Fox executives, including Murdoch, showed they were skeptical of Trump’s claim that the election was stolen.
When Murdoch retired as head of Fox and News Corp in 2023, Trump said: “A lot of people are saying, ‘You forced Rupert Murdoch to retire!’
“I don’t believe that, but while we’re at it, how about we get rid of ‘Democrat’ Mitch McConnell? He gives the radical left crazies, along with his small group of automatic ‘yes’ votes, EVERYTHING they want.”
Trump also called him a “globalist” who would do anything to prevent him from running for president.
The New York Post ran the headline “Trumpty Dumpty” on its front page in November 2022 after Republicans underperformed in the midterm elections.
DailyMail.com has reached out to News Corp for comment.