Trump announces staff secretary Will Scharf will be his new White House counsel

President Donald Trump announced Sunday that Will Scharf, his staff secretary, will become White House counsel starting September 1, replacing David Warrington, who is leaving for the private sector. Scharf, a former federal prosecutor who represented Trump in several cases including at the Supreme Court, will take on the role amid preparations for the November midterm elections. The announcement comes as a federal appeals court ruled Friday that construction on Trump's $400 million White House ballroom project must stop because Congress had not approved it.

President Donald Trump announced Sunday that his new White House counsel will be Will Scharf, the staff secretary who, as the Trump-appointed head of the National Capital Planning Commission, helped secure approval for the president's $400 million White House ballroom project. Trump said that, beginning September 1, Scharf will be replacing David Warrington, who will be leaving the administration to join the private sector. Trump noted that Scharf previously served as a federal prosecutor and represented him in a number of cases, including at the Supreme Court. Scharf was raised modern Orthodox in New York City and Florida, and attended Phillips Academy in Andover. He ran unsuccessfully for the Republican nomination for Missouri attorney general in 2024. In 2023, he co-founded Jews Against Soros. The White House counsel's office handles legal and policy questions, and the shakeup comes just months ahead of the November midterm elections. During Trump's first term, Scharf worked to get judges confirmed, including Supreme Court Justices Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett. In October 2023, he joined Trump's legal team and was one of his lawyers in the election interference case brought by special counsel Jack Smith. Scharf is among several of Trump's lawyers rewarded with spots in his second administration. As staff secretary, he managed papers crossing the president's desk. Trump in July 2025 named him chair of the National Capital Planning Commission. Trump's ballroom won final approval from the NCPC in April, though a divided federal appeals court ruled Friday that construction must stop because Congress had not approved it. Trump has vowed to appeal to the Supreme Court.