President-elect Donald Trump selected Gov. Doug Burgum (R-ND) to be secretary of the Department of the Interior in a surprise announcement Thursday.

Trump made the announcement during an event at his Mar-a-Lago resort, saying that he had planned to reveal the nomination on Friday.

“We’re going to turn our country around,” the president-elect said Thursday evening as he commented that the results of the election, with him winning a second term, would stop another 1929 economic recession from happening. 

Burgum tried to challenge Trump early on in the 2024 GOP presidential primary. He dropped his bid in December, and subsequently became a surrogate for his former opponent on the campaign trail, even being rumored at one point to be on Trump’s short list for vice president.

The news Thursday comes after speculation had swirled for months that Trump might appoint Burgum to a Cabinet position.

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Burgum himself noted earlier this month that “people are flocking, the talent that is showing up looks very different from 2016 when President Trump won unexpectedly.”

“Now, every position he has, there’s 20 qualified people banging on the door wanting to get a job, and I know President Trump and his team, fantastic choice with Susie Wiles, they’re going to have the pick of the litter in putting together a fantastic team to help drive our country forward,” the North Dakota governor said during an appearance on Fox & Friends.