Doug Burgum has tens of millions invested in AI industry

newsNov 6, 2026561,648

Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, the White House’s point person on the administration’s AI infrastructure push, holds substantial investments in AI through Arthur Ventures, the firm he co-founded, according to his 2026 financial disclosure reviewed by ProPublica. ProPublica and public lands group Save Our Parks analyzed Arthur Ventures holdings and conclude between $18.1 million and $64.4 million of those investments are in AI companies; government disclosure rules allow reporting such wide ranges. Burgum told senators in January 2025 that the “AI arms race” with China is existential and the administration likens AI buildout to the Manhattan Project; he has pressed to allow tech companies to build data centers on public lands. Save Our Parks’ analysis found Burgum realized capital gains from AI-related investments while governor and sold millions more in 2025, with gains reported in ranges of $2.1 million to $11 million before joining the administration and $2.5 million to $15.1 million from 2025 sales. Burgum agreed in his Senate ethics deal to resign roles at Arthur Ventures but to retain his financial interests; the Interior Department said his filings meet federal ethics requirements. ProPublica reported broader ties across the administration: 380 political appointees or spouses have connections to Nvidia, more than 320 to Alphabet, and more than 240 to Meta, and ProPublica noted a criminal statute sets a high burden to prove improper official action, with ethics scholars saying Burgum’s investments appear legally permissible.

ProPublica

@propublica.org

NEW: Interior Secretary Doug Burgum has tens of millions of dollars invested in the AI industry. Meanwhile, he is leading the Trump administration’s charge to allow tech companies to build data centers on the public lands he oversees.

15423h ago

ProPublica386

This finding comes from the database we built to explore the financial disclosures of the president and over 2,300 of his appointees. You can explore officials’ assets and debts here:

Sweetiesue1111 17

Key words here... PUBLIC LANDS... they belong to We The People not this corrupt idiot to sell off to the highest bidder.

Jay Lionel10

Everything in this regime is a grift, an abuse of power, a conflict of interests and a heist. There MUST BE consequences.

dabxdee.bsky.social9

Indicative of who the real welfare queens and terrorists are we need to be worried about, not someone from another country.

Grumpy Zeus9

Sounds like a conflict of interest for which he should receive a long prison sentence. Let's get on with that.

NaNaNaNa ™ ❌💩👑8

Oh good! Let's get congress to halt all AI projects indefinitely! 😁

Quoting this

Mark Jacob186

Everywhere you look in the Trump regime, there’s a conflict of interest that allows them to enrich themselves and screw you.

Veterans Against Trump10

More corruption the Dems will be addressing. We don't need fucking data centers and we sure as hell don't need them on public lands.

Patricia3

The corruption is endless with this administration.

Every member of this administration needs to face prosecution.

Half Moon Rising 3

#Colorado #Action #Call #Senators BOTH Colorado Senators voted to appoint Bergum who has $$M conflicts of interest. Tell our Senators: make this right by supporting investigations as reported by ProPublica. And to support NEW leadership. Sen. Bennet: (202) 224-5852 Sen. Hickenlooper: (202) 224-5941

David Montana 🇺🇸🇨🇦🌈🇺🇦🇲🇽🇻🇪🇵🇸2

This isn't illegal? Seems illegal. Definitely unethical.

Nacmtrader172

lmao - its just dirty from top to bottom

EVELYN NORMIELIB Keynes2

HOLY SHIT i hadnt heard that burgum was trying to turn public lands into data centers where are the fucking ranchers? the mountain west still voted for this shit - you really want your herds grazing on grass shot through with gpu coolant wastewater?

@JohnBGilman.bsky.social2

Burgum should go to prison for criminal corruption...

tomwellborn3rd

@wellborn.net

Doug Burgum wants to pave public land for data centers while sitting on up to $64 million in AI investments. When 70 percent of voters said no, he blamed foreign influence. Voters in nearly 40 towns just rejected these things anyway. Recuse, Doug. Or get subpoenaed. Your pick.

472h ago

Dawn Humphrey

@dhumph.bsky.social

This is the corruption that must be addressed immediately: "Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, who is heavily invested in the AI industry, is leading the charge to allow tech companies to build data centers on the public lands he oversees." The self-dealing needs to end.

62h ago

Anna E. Cook

@annaecook.com

According to @semafor.com investors are worried about AI buildout because of democrats. To be clear, this isn’t about democrats. One of the major winning takes was anti tech oligarchy and anti-AI. The AI buildout was always going to fail because people hate data centers and tech billionaires.

Asian and European stocks followed US shares lower following the worst market rout since 2020 as investors fretted about the durability of the Al buildout under a Democrat-controlled Congress.
Chipmaking hubs Taiwan and South Korea saw steep declines, the former suffering record losses and the latter halting trading after an 8% wipeout.
Markets fear curbs to AI development, reportedly leading some investors to question whether frontier lab Anthropic will achieve its $1.5 trillion IPO valuation target or have to delay its debut. Still, US futures signaled a bounceback while others remained undaunted:ẠỗIt's ugly right now," an asset manager said. "But we do think we will see a bounce back soon.”

141h ago

carpenter22.bsky.social

@carpenter22.bsky.social

Big Tech’s thirst for water is sparking a global resistance restofworld.org/2026/ai-data...

52h ago

@yirdaki.bsky.social

I remember when conflict of interest was a bad think. Trump thinks it is a prerequisit for his cabinet members. www.propublica.org/article/burg...

53h ago

Christopher Martell

@chrismartell.bsky.social

Do you love national parks and hate the rapid expansion of AI data centers? Give this @propublica.org report a read. The Trump administration is selling our public lands to fill their personal bank accounts. www.propublica.org/article/burg...

33h ago

Earle Boxer

@earleboxer.bsky.social

The blantant, overt corruption is simply astounding ... as per @propublica.org www.propublica.org/article/burg...

23h ago

Mostly True News

@mostlytruenews.bsky.social

"I'm 100% in favor of data centers and Ai" -Diaper Don Oh, the kiss of death that helps Democrats.

21h ago

Cryptid-Resident Voidcat Plushie

@thecryptidcat.bsky.social

All of the old democratic leadership needs to go. Many of them have investments in AI data centers or deep ties to Israel. We don't need them. They're part of what created the American problem in the first place.

41h ago

hccmal.bsky.social

@hccmal.bsky.social

Source: CNBC Voters rebuff data centers in every ballot measure except one during the 2026 midterms. • 41 data center-related ballot measures were up for a vote in the 2026 midterm elections in 10 states. www.cnbc.com/amp/2026/11/...

21h ago

Rural Freedom Network

@ruralfreedomnet.bsky.social

THE CORRUPTION EXTENDS TO EVERY SENIOR OFFICIAL IN THIS CORRUPT TRUMP ADMINISTRATION. www.propublica.org/article/burg...

12h ago

Hannah Rose

@fluffynsassy.bsky.social

Did you know @repdelbene.bsky.social that transgender people are not responsible for these awful data centers, their pollution, their expense, their job-killing, their AI-generated slop? No, we don’t like it either. You could address the AI farce instead of attacking the transgender community 💜🏳️‍⚧️

11h ago