President-elect Donald Trump is considering appointing a White House “energy czar” to coordinate the incoming administration’s energy policies across the administration, according to two people with knowledge of the transition.
The role could be one of several policy “czars” in the White House under Trump, who has stressed that slashing energy regulations and boosting fossil fuel production are among his top priorities. It could also signal the incoming administration intends to centralize power in the White House as opposed to delegating policy work to departments.
North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, a Trump loyalist who was on the president-elect’s shortlist for vice president, is viewed as a possible energy czar, said the people with knowledge of the transition who were granted anonymity to discuss personnel decisions.
Trump repeatedly praised Burgum and his energy bona fides on the campaign trail. Burgum “probably knows more about energy than anybody I know,” Trump said earlier this year.
Burgum is also viewed as a possible contender for a Senate-confirmed Cabinet position under Trump after spending months as a Trump surrogate on the campaign trail.
The North Dakota governor wasn’t well known nationally or in Washington energy policy circles prior to his own presidential bid and subsequent emergence as a prominent Trump ally. Burgum is a wealthy former software executive who was elected governor in 2016. He touts the advantages of domestic oil and gas production and says he believes in “innovation over regulation.”
Burgum is also regularly mentioned as a leading candidate for Energy secretary under Trump, but he has previously downplayed his desire for a Cabinet role.
Asked during his presidential primary campaign about a potential Cabinet gig, Burgum said, “I’ve always been the guy that was the CEO or the governor,” The Washington Times reported in August 2023.
“People have said ‘you’d make a great [Department of Agriculture] secretary, you know incredible amounts about ag,’ or ‘you’d be great for the Department of Interior because everything you know about [Bureau of Land Management] and tribal lands,’” Burgum said. “Those seem like the qualifications for the top job.”
Some energy industry executives are advocating for Chris Wright, the chair and CEO of Denver-based Liberty Energy, to land a key energy post in the new administration, said one of the people familiar with the transition. That could be as Energy secretary or as energy czar, that person said.
The Trump transition team declined to comment on the potential energy czar position.
“President-Elect Trump is making decisions on who will serve in his second administration. Those decisions will be announced when they are made,” said Karoline Leavitt, a spokesperson for the Trump-Vance transition team.
Rise of the ‘czars’?
A coordinating role from the White House on one of Trump’s top priorities makes sense, said Tom Pyle, president of the American Energy Alliance who led Trump’s 2016 Energy Department transition team.
“I hate the word ‘czar,’ but I do think the president should have somebody in the White House that prioritizes energy policy,” Pyle said. “It’s a cross-cutting issue.”
Trump has already named a “border czar” this week, announcing that his former acting Immigration and Customs Enforcement director, Tom Homan, will assume that role.
Another Trump ally, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., has been floated as a possible White House “health czar.” Kennedy’s potential role in an upcoming administration is still unclear, but he said Trump promised him “control of the public health agencies.”
Republicans have been critical of “czars” under Democratic control of the White House. GOP lawmakers assailed the Obama White House for appointing a series of senior officials who weren’t subject to Senate confirmation to coordinate policy across the government on issues including green jobs, climate change, the Great Lakes and autos.
One other name in the mix for White House energy czar is David Bernhardt, who served as Interior secretary during the first Trump administration, said the second person with knowledge of the transition.
Bernhardt has a senior role with the America First Policy Institute and is among those working on energy policy for the transition, the two people said. Other people outside the official transition team are also advising informally on energy.
Bernhardt’s name has also been floated as a possible head of the White House Office of Management and Budget under Trump.
