President Donald Trump announced Sunday that White House Staff Secretary Will Scharf will become White House counsel on Sept. 1, elevating a trusted aide and former personal attorney to the administration’s top in-house legal role.
Scharf will replace David Warrington, who has served as counsel to the president since Trump returned to office in January 2025. Warrington also worked as an attorney for Trump and his 2024 presidential campaign.
“It is my Great Honor to announce that, effective September 1st, Will Scharf will become Assistant to the President and White House Counsel,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
The president praised Warrington for doing an “outstanding job” in the White House and on the campaign, adding that he will return to the private sector.
Trump also touted Scharf’s work as staff secretary and chairman of the National Capital Planning Commission, calling his performance in those roles “amazing.”
“I know Will well!” Trump wrote. “He previously represented me in numerous cases, including at the Supreme Court, during the Biden Administration’s corrupt and illegal campaign of Weaponization.”
Trump further highlighted Scharf’s experience as a federal prosecutor, private-practice attorney and clerk for two federal appeals court judges. Scharf earned degrees from Princeton University and Harvard Law School.
“Will is Tough, Strong, and Smart!” Trump added. “He also loves our Country, and respects the Law. Will Scharf will do a great job as White House Counsel!”
Scharf was a member of Trump’s legal team in the presidential-immunity case that reached the Supreme Court. The justices ruled in 2024 that former presidents have broad immunity from criminal prosecution for official acts, but no immunity for unofficial conduct.
As White House staff secretary, Scharf manages documents moving to and from the president’s desk. He has also become a familiar presence during Oval Office signing events, frequently handing Trump executive orders and explaining their provisions before the president signs them. The Wall Street Journal noted that those appearances may be what Scharf is best known for publicly.
Scharf’s role in the White House ballroom project has also raised his profile. Trump appointed him chairman of the National Capital Planning Commission in July 2025. The commission, with Scharf presiding, approved the preliminary and final plans for the East Wing Modernization Project on April 2.
Official planning documents describe the project as a permanent, secure event space intended to expand the White House’s capacity for state functions. News organizations have placed the cost of the ballroom project at roughly $400 million.
Scharf will assume the counsel’s post as the administration confronts court challenges to several parts of the president’s agenda and prepares for possible congressional investigations after the November midterm elections. The White House counsel advises the president and senior aides on the legal implications of official actions, reviews legislation and executive actions, and helps manage lawsuits and congressional demands involving the administration.
The personnel move came one day after the Senate confirmed Todd Blanche as attorney general in a 50-49 vote. Like Scharf and Warrington, Blanche previously served as one of Trump’s personal attorneys before joining the administration.
Scharf was beside the president on Aug. 6 when Trump signed two executive orders involving immigration and citizenship. One, titled “Ending Birth Tourism,” directs the State and Homeland Security departments to take steps against foreign nationals who use nonimmigrant visas to enter the United States for the purpose of giving birth. A separate order directs federal agencies not to recognize citizenship in specified circumstances when neither parent is a U.S. citizen, including certain cases involving designated terrorists, foreign government employees or commercial arrangements to obtain birthright citizenship.
