President Donald Trump announced on August 9 that Will Scharf, currently serving as White House Staff Secretary, will become the next White House counsel effective September 1, 2026.
Scharf replaces David Warrington, who has held the position since Trump’s inauguration on January 20, 2025, and is departing for the private sector.
From gatekeeper to legal guardian
Scharf has held the Staff Secretary role since late 2024, when Trump tapped him during the presidential transition. The White House counsel advises the president on constitutional questions, executive orders, judicial nominations, and the legal boundaries of presidential power.
Born on March 29, 1986, in New York City, Scharf earned a bachelor’s degree from Princeton University in 2008 and a law degree from Harvard Law School in 2011. He went on to serve as an Assistant US Attorney in Missouri, prosecuting federal cases, before pivoting to the political side as a senior adviser to then-Missouri Governor Eric Greitens. In 2024, Scharf ran for Missouri attorney general, though he ultimately did not win that race.
