Who Is Will Scharf, Trump's New White House Lawyer?

President Donald Trump announced on August 10, 2026, that Will Scharf will become the new White House counsel, starting September 1. The current counsel, David Warrington, is leaving for a job in the private sector. Scharf will also carry the title of assistant to the president. Al Jazeera

Trump made the announcement on Truth Social, calling Scharf "Tough, Strong, and Smart." He pointed to Scharf's past work as a federal prosecutor and as a lawyer who has represented Trump personally.

The White House counsel is the president's top lawyer inside the White House. This is different from the attorney general, who runs the Justice Department and is the government's chief law enforcement official. The counsel advises the president on legal matters like executive orders, ethics rules, and how to respond when Congress investigates the administration.

Scharf joined Trump's legal team in 2023. He worked on a criminal case about election interference brought by Special Counsel Jack Smith, a prosecutor appointed to investigate whether Trump illegally tried to overturn the 2020 election results. That case ran into the Supreme Court's 2024 ruling that a president has broad immunity — meaning legal protection — from criminal charges for actions taken as part of the job. Scharf's work on that case gave him direct experience with where the line falls between what a president does officially and what they do as a private person.

During Trump's first term, Scharf helped get federal judges confirmed, including Supreme Court Justices Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett. After Trump returned to office in January 2025, Scharf became White House staff secretary, a role that manages what paperwork reaches the president's desk. White House He was also named chairman of the National Capital Planning Commission in July 2025.

As chairman of that commission, Scharf oversaw the approval of Trump's proposed $400 million White House ballroom. A federal appeals court later stopped the aboveground construction, ruling that a change this big needs Congress to approve it. Scharf argued that the commission had authority over building decisions but not over the demolition that came first. Trump has said he will take the case to the Supreme Court.

Warrington's exit comes about nineteen months into Trump's second term. No specific reason beyond the private-sector move has been reported.

The timing matters. Scharf steps into the role about two months before the November midterm elections. During that period, the administration's legal approach to congressional investigations and any election-related disputes will be closely watched. The White House counsel does not need Senate confirmation, so Scharf can start right away.

The broader picture is that Scharf brings an unusual combination of experience to the job. He has personally represented Trump, helped shape the federal judiciary, controlled the flow of documents to the president, and led a federal commission now caught in a court fight over the balance of power between the president and Congress. For a president who has pushed the boundaries of presidential authority, the counsel's office is where legal risk and political goals meet.