Trump taps Will Scharf as White House counsel
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- Will Scharf will replace David Warrington as White House counsel beginning September 1, 2026, with Warrington departing for the private sector.
- Scharf previously served as a federal prosecutor and represented Trump in cases including at the Supreme Court, per Trump's Truth Social announcement.
- Trump named Scharf as chair of the National Capital Planning Commission in July 2025, where Scharf helped secure approval for the $400 million White House ballroom project.
- The White House counsel change comes months ahead of midterm elections where Democrats have vowed to pursue investigations into Trump and his administration if they win control of Congress.
- The NCPC gave final approval to the ballroom in April 2026, but a divided federal appeals court ruled on August 7, 2026 that construction must stop because Congress had not approved it.
- Trump has vowed to appeal the ballroom ruling to the U.S. Supreme Court; construction has already risen above ground on the east side of the White House.
Why it matters: The elevation rewards the official who pushed through Trump's $400 million ballroom project just as a federal appeals court halted construction — giving the White House a counsel with direct stake in defending that project before the Supreme Court, where Trump's appeal now heads.
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