In Trump’s second term, czars will reign

By Kayla Tausche, CNN

(CNN) — Less than a week into the Trump transition – with some of the most critical personnel decisions still underway – the president-elect has elevated a new class of candidates: the czars.

Discussions about a future role for North Dakota governor-turned-Trump-ally Doug Burgum have evolved into that of an “energy czar,” according to two people familiar with the discussions, with a broad mandate to run an interagency process that advances President-elect Donald Trump’s energy agenda. CNN reported on Friday that Burgum was under consideration for a role as energy czar.

“It’s sort of the conservative version of [the Biden administration’s senior climate advisor] John Podesta,” one of the sources said.

Burgum had been in contention for a Cabinet-level position, like running the department of Interior or Energy, CNN previously reported. But in recent days, those conversations distilled into a role that would give Burgum oversight of policy without being encumbered by tens of thousands of employees or labyrinthine processes.

It’s just the latest example of a prominent Trump contender discussing a role that operates in the sphere between the agencies and the incoming president, a bid to skirt bureaucratic processes and exert more power over their portfolios. It also means those candidates – not burdened by a lengthy Senate confirmation process – can launch their work on day one.

“There’s an emphasis on people who can come in and execute on policies and not be on a list of ‘I need to get this job or that job,’” said a second source involved in the process. “They’re people who aren’t kidding around and will just go straight in and execute the president’s agenda.”

The term “czar” has come to refer to a political appointee with a specific problem to solve. President Barack Obama appointed more than two dozen officials with that title, often used informally, to tackle issues like how to close Guantanamo Bay, contain the spread of Ebola and account for the vast stimulus spending during the Great Recession.

President Joe Biden, too, appointed czars to help manage the response to the COVID-19 pandemic and the supply chain snarls that erupted as a result.

Frequently, presidents-elect name their highest-profile appointees first, like the secretaries of State or Treasury. Trump has also uniquely focused on his selection for attorney general as he and his allies weigh law enforcement priorities that may include political retribution, as Trump has suggested.

Instead, Trump’s first selections have been those of Republican loyalists. He has picked Rep. Elise Stefanik for the ambassadorship at the United Nations, a public-facing role promoting the US’ position on conflicts around the world. And Trump is expected to announce in the coming days that Stephen Miller, his longtime domestic policy adviser, will serve as White House deputy chief of staff, with an expected focus on immigration.

But Miller’s work, too, will be bolstered by a Trump-appointed czar. Tom Homan, a hardline operator who served as his former acting director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, will step back into the role of “border czar” he occupied in 2019. In that and prior roles at the Department of Homeland Security, Homan became the public face of the first Trump administration’s aggressive efforts to step up immigration enforcement.

“I am pleased to announce that the Former ICE Director, and stalwart on Border Control, Tom Homan, will be joining the Trump Administration, in charge of our Nation’s Borders (‘The Border Czar’), including, but not limited to, the Southern Border, the Northern Border, all Maritime, and Aviation Security,” Trump said in a post on Truth Social late Sunday.

And Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the third-party candidate who backed Trump with the promise of an administration role, is discussing his own “czar-like role” overseeing a broad swathe of issues touching health, agriculture and medicine. As a sign of the influence he is wielding over the process, Kennedy is also serving as co-chair of Trump’s transition, according to two people familiar with the matter.

Discussions for Kennedy’s role have also included a critical component: direct access to the president, which can be make or break for the business of any senior aide.

“With Trump, it’s all about proximity,” the first source noted. “If you’re at an agency working down the street from Trump, you’re already one step behind.”

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