Trump appoints Will Scharf as White House legal advisor

US President Donald Trump has nominated Will Scharf, the current White House staff secretary, to serve as the administration's chief legal advisor, just months before the November midterm elections.

Will Scharf will assume his duties on September 1st, replacing David Warrington, who is leaving the administration for the private sector. A longtime Trump lawyer, Scharf will combine this role with the title of assistant to the president, thus transitioning from managing the administrative aspects of the Oval Office to becoming the president's chief legal advisor.

Trump praised him on Truth Social as "solid, strong, and smart," highlighting his background as a federal prosecutor and his representation work in several legal cases. Scharf joined the president's legal team in 2023 to work 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 ultimately ruled in 2024 that presidents enjoy broad criminal immunity for their official acts.

His ties to Trump date back to the first presidency: he worked on the confirmation of federal judges, including Supreme Court Justices Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett. Since Trump's return to the White House in January 2025, Scharf has managed documents sent to the president and regularly appeared alongside him during the signing of executive orders.

Scharf is also at the center of one of the administration's most contentious controversies. Trump appointed him chairman of the National Capital Planning Commission in July 2025, the body that subsequently approved the $400 million ballroom project planned for the site of the demolished East Wing of the White House. A federal appeals court on Saturday upheld an injunction halting surface work, ruling that such a significant alteration to the White House requires explicit congressional approval. Trump announced his intention to take the case to the Supreme Court. Scharf had argued that the commission had authority over the construction, but not over the demolition that preceded it.

The White House counsel advises the president on legal and constitutional matters, reviews legislation and executive orders, and coordinates the administration's response to lawsuits and congressional investigations. Scharf takes on this role amid heightened tensions: Democrats have promised to investigate Trump and his administration if they win control of Congress in November.

His appointment follows a recurring pattern: Trump entrusts key legal positions to lawyers who have personally defended him. Todd Blanche, who represented him in his criminal cases, was confirmed Saturday as attorney general. D. John Sauer, who argued for presidential immunity before the Supreme Court, was appointed solicitor general, while Emil Bove, another former Trump lawyer, first held a senior position at the Justice Department before being confirmed to a federal appeals court.