Trump listens to Wheeler in 2020. Photo: Drew Angerer/Getty Images
Here are people who could be influential in the transition or nab an appointment in a second Trump administration.
Andrew Wheeler, former EPA administrator
Wheeler was widely seen as an effective shepherd of the administration's ideas at EPA, and he's remained close to Trump world and Hill Republicans since leaving the agency.
- Before last month's debate, Trump posted a series of energy talking points that seemed to be written by Wheeler.
- Wheeler, now with Holland & Hart, also huddled with the Western Caucus early this year.
David Bernhard, former Interior secretary
Like Wheeler, Bernhardt is known as an effective behind-the-scenes operator who's kept close ties to Republican politics.
- He recently released book outlining how a future Republican administration could dismantle the bureaucracy.
- He now chairs the Center for American Freedom at the Trump-y think tank America First Policy Institute.
Doug Burgum, governor of North Dakota
Burgum raised his national profile by running as the energy candidate in the GOP presidential primary.
- He's since gotten close to Trump and was at one point seen as a contender for the vice presidential slot.
- He often talks about "clean energy," and his state's got a goal to be carbon neutral by 2030. That could make him a bit more confirmable than some other folks in Trump world.
Robert Lighthizer, former U.S. Trade Representative
Lighthizer did the heavy lifting to execute Trump's protectionist trade agenda in the first term. He's among the most influential pro-tariff voices in Washington right now.
- These days, he's working on trade policy at AFPI and outlining a trade agenda for Trump 2.0.
Bernard McNamee, former FERC commissioner
For an agency that doesn't get much national press, McNamee was incredibly controversial when Trump nominated him to FERC in 2018.
- But he's got deep roots in Republican politics and wrote the DOE section of Project 2025.
Mandy Gunasekara, former EPA chief of staff
Gunasekara served in this role briefly under Wheeler during the last year of the Trump administration.
- She's a prominent pro-Trump voice, appearing frequently in the media to defend his energy agenda, and is another Project 2025 author.
