Trump names Will Scharf as White House counsel, replacing David Warrington on September 1

Staff change at the White House counsel's office

President Donald Trump announced on August 9 that Will Scharf, currently the White House staff secretary, will become White House counsel and assistant to the president effective September 1. Scharf replaces David Warrington, who is leaving the administration for the private sector. Warrington served as general counsel for Trump's 2024 campaign and previously worked at the Dhillon Law Group, the firm owned by current Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon, where he represented figures including Michael Flynn and Sebastian Gorka. Trump praised Warrington for doing "a truly outstanding job" and described Scharf as someone he knows well, noting that Scharf had represented him in numerous cases, including at the Supreme Court.

The change marks one of the few significant personnel shifts in the West Wing since Trump returned to office in January 2025. The White House counsel's office advises on legal and policy questions related to the presidency, serves as the primary contact with the Department of Justice, handles presidential pardons, works on judicial appointments, reviews legislation, and manages congressional investigations and lawsuits against the president in his official capacity.

Scharf's background and ties to Trump

Scharf, 40, joined Trump's legal team in 2023 and worked on the federal election interference case brought by former Special Counsel Jack Smith. He was part of the team when the case reached the Supreme Court, which ruled in 2024 that presidents have broad immunity from criminal prosecution for official acts. During Trump's first term, Scharf worked on the confirmation of federal judges, including Supreme Court Justices Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett. Before joining the White House, Scharf ran unsuccessfully for attorney general of Missouri in 2024.

After Trump returned to office, Scharf became staff secretary, managing documents reaching the president and frequently standing at his side during executive-order signings to explain their details. The New York Times described Scharf as a "deeply conservative lawyer" who has embraced some of the most extreme elements of the president's agenda, while occasionally raising concerns about matters he believed could imperil the presidency, including when Trump and policy adviser Stephen Miller weighed suspending due process rights for undocumented immigrants.

The ballroom controversy and NCPC role

In July 2025, Trump appointed Scharf chairman of the National Capital Planning Commission (NCPC), the agency with jurisdiction over construction and major renovations to government buildings in the Washington region. The NCPC approved Trump's $400 million White House ballroom, planned on the site of the demolished East Wing, in April. Scharf also expedited reviews of Trump's planned triumphal arch, expected to be approved at the commission's next public meeting in September.

On Friday, August 7, a divided federal appeals court ruled that construction on the ballroom must stop because Congress had not approved the project. Trump has vowed to appeal to the Supreme Court. The project has already begun to rise above ground on the east side of the White House.

Political timing

The staff change comes months before November's midterm elections, where Trump's Republican Party will fight to retain control of Congress. Democrats have vowed to pursue investigations into Trump and his administration if they win in November. Trump did not announce who would succeed Scharf as staff secretary, a role that manages the paper flow reaching the president.