WASHINGTON — President Trump on Sunday named White House staff secretary Will Scharf to succeed David Warrington as White House counsel, effective Sept. 1, moving one of the president's former personal defense lawyers into the West Wing's top legal seat.
The change puts a Trump attorney who helped defend the president in his Supreme Court immunity case into the office that will manage the administration's response to any Democratic-led investigations after the November midterms. It follows the Senate's 50-49 confirmation last week of Todd Blanche, another former Trump personal lawyer, as attorney general.
The announcement
Trump made the move on Truth Social. "It is my Great Honor to announce that, effective September 1, Will Scharf will become Assistant to the President and White House Counsel," the president wrote, saying Warrington had done "a truly outstanding job" and was leaving for the private sector. "Will is Tough, Strong, and Smart! He also loves our Country, and respects the Law," Trump added. "Will Scharf will do a great job as White House Counsel!"
The White House counsel advises the president on legal and policy questions, serves as the administration's primary point of contact with the Justice Department, handles pardons, works on judicial appointments, reviews legislation and manages congressional investigations and lawsuits filed against the president in his official capacity.
Who Scharf is
Scharf, a Princeton graduate and Harvard Law alumnus, joined Trump's legal team in October 2023 after clerking for two federal appeals court judges and serving as a federal prosecutor, HNGN reported. He was among the personal attorneys who represented Trump in the immunity case brought by special counsel Jack Smith, in which the Supreme Court ruled that presidents enjoy "sweeping immunity from criminal prosecution for official acts." During Trump's first term, Scharf worked on the confirmations of Supreme Court Justices Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett, NBC News reported.
Since the start of Trump's second term, Scharf has managed the paper flow to the president's desk as staff secretary and often appears at Trump's side during Oval Office signing ceremonies, handing him executive orders and narrating their contents. Trump named him chairman of the National Capital Planning Commission in July 2025, and Scharf helped shepherd approval for the administration's $400 million White House ballroom project.
Before his rise inside Trump's orbit, Scharf ran unsuccessfully for Missouri attorney general, losing a Republican primary to incumbent Andrew Bailey despite Trump's endorsement of both candidates, HNGN reported.
The other side
The elevation lands as the West Wing's legal machinery is under pressure on the very project Scharf shepherded. A divided federal appeals court ruled Friday that construction on the $400 million ballroom — which won final NCPC approval in April — must stop because Congress had not approved it, and Trump has vowed to appeal to the Supreme Court. NBC News and the wire syndication carried by Business Standard connected the promotion to that fight and to the coming midterm investigations. OANN foregrounded Trump's description of the Jack Smith prosecution as part of the "Biden Administration's corrupt and illegal campaign of Weaponization" and cast Scharf's rise as a reward for his defense of the president.
What's next
Trump did not offer a reason for Warrington's departure beyond describing it as a move to the private sector. Scharf takes over Sept. 1.