Trump elevates Will Scharf to White House counsel role

Donald Trump named Will Scharf White House counsel, elevating his staff secretary into one of the West Wing’s most consequential legal posts. Scharf will replace David Warrington and take over on Sept. 1, with the White House saying he will also serve as assistant to the president.

The move puts a close administrative aide at the center of the administration’s legal machinery. White House counsel is the office that advises on ethics, nominations, investigations, document handling and the legality of proposed actions before they are announced, making it a gatekeeper for decisions that can trigger lawsuits or congressional scrutiny.

Scharf arrives with a record of proximity to Trump rather than distance from him. He had been serving as White House staff secretary since Jan. 20, 2025, a job that placed him near the Oval Office and in the flow of paperwork and executive actions. Reuters and other outlets described him as a deeply conservative lawyer, and Trump’s selection signals a preference for an insider who already knows the president’s pace, priorities and style.

That matters because the counsel’s office often shapes how aggressively a White House pushes executive power and how it responds when courts or agencies push back. In Trump’s second term, the legal fights have already been sharp. On Aug. 6, Trump signed orders aimed at limiting U.S. birthright citizenship, actions that are likely to draw court challenges and could land quickly on Scharf’s desk. The office will also be involved when the administration faces disputes over personnel, policy rollout and the handling of records.

The replacement of Warrington, a personal attorney for Trump, with Scharf adds to the sense of a shake-up in a key legal role. It also narrows the distance between the president and the lawyer advising him on institutional guardrails. Scharf’s promotion suggests the White House wants a counsel who can move fast, stay aligned with Trump’s agenda and manage legal risk without slowing the president down.