Doug Burgum reveals how Trump ensures his DC projects are on track: ‘He works 20 hours a day’

WASHINGTON, DC: Interior Secretary Doug Burgum offered a rare behind-the-scenes look at President Donald Trump's work habits, saying the president regularly stays up well past midnight making phone calls to track progress on construction projects and infrastructure improvements across Washington, DC, pushing staff for updates long after most of the White House has gone to bed.

Burgum said Trump notices details during his daily movements around the capital that most people would miss entirely, then immediately follows up to find out what is being done about them.

Burgum says Trump inherited capital in 'decline'

"When his staff goes to bed at ten and he's still got a couple of phones in his hands, he's dialing long into the night," Burgum said.

“He's usually asking about progress reports on how things are going." The interior secretary used the remarks to contrast the current state of Washington with what he said the administration inherited roughly 18 months ago.

"He may have, when he's either flying to Andrews in his helicopter, spotted something. Or he may have been driving to an event in town, and he's seen something.”

“He doesn't miss a detail, and then he'll be like, 'What about this? What about that? Are we working on this?'" Burgum said.

Burgum said that when Trump took office, 48 national monuments had fallen into disrepair, 22 fountains had not had running water, in some cases for decades, more than a thousand graffiti sites were documented across the capital, and 152 homeless encampments were present throughout the city.

“All that was our starting point, just eighteen months ago," Burgum said, describing the scope of work his department has taken on since Trump signed what Burgum called a "safe and beautiful" executive order directing the administration to restore and maintain the capital's public spaces.

Crime down as park police doubled in size

Burgum also pointed to public safety improvements as part of the broader effort, saying the administration had doubled the size of the US Park Police, which reports to the Interior Department, and expanded its authorities.

He credited the changes with helping drive down the crime rate in Washington.

"It's not just one thing. It's not just like we're fixing fountains," he said.

"We're also fixing the fact that president Trump has created a blueprint for every major city in America. If you want to have a clean city with beautiful public spaces that are safe, it's just a function of leadership."

Trump's late-night calls have become a recurring detail in accounts from those who work closely with him. Burgum described the president's pace as relentless.

"President Trump is a prolific worker. He works like twenty hours a day," he said.

“It's nothing special that he's calling me. He's calling when if his staff goes to bed at ten, he's still got a couple of phones in his hands."

The remarks come amid ongoing Democratic criticism of Trump's health and fitness for office.