President-elect Trump is looking toward North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum (R) as a potential “energy czar,” a source with knowledge of the matter confirmed to NewsNation on Friday.
The source said the position could entail increasing the nation’s fossil fuel production, per NewsNation. Burgum is a potential choice for several roles.
The Hill reported earlier this year after it was confirmed Burgum wouldn’t be Trump’s vice presidential pick that the governor could take on an energy related role in the former president’s administration if elected.
Trump has publicly and privately praised Burgum’s acumen, saying at a rally earlier this year that Burgum “probably knows more about energy than anybody I know.”
Burgum has said that he won’t seek another term as governor, a position he has held since 2016. In that role, he set a goal of reaching net-zero emissions by 2030 — not by reducing the use of fossil fuels, but by capturing and storing their carbon emissions.
Burgum was in the news last year during his Republican primary bid. Although he suspended his campaign in December 2023 after struggling to gain traction.
In his own campaign, Burgum made energy one of his top priorities — saying he wanted to “dramatically increase energy production” on his campaign website.
NewsNation is owned by Nexstar, which also owns The Hill.
