US President Trump has named Will Scharf, who is Jewish, as his new White House counsel and assistant to the president.
The announcement was made on Sunday that Scharf, who is currently White House staff secretary, will replace David Warrington, who has served in the position since the beginning of Trump’s second term.
Warrington will be formally replaced by Scharf on September 1, and is leaving the Trump administration to join the private sector. He previously worked as a personal counsel for Trump’s 2024 campaign.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump wrote: “Will is Tough, Strong, and Smart! He also loves our Country, and respects the Law”, adding “Will Scharf will do a great job as White House Counsel!”
Scharf was born in New York and split his childhood between the Big Apple and northern Florida, growing up in a Modern Orthodox household.
Whilst attending Princeton, he was involved in the Center for Jewish Life and served as president of the Chabad Student Board.
He later attended Harvard Law School and was involved in student politics at both universities, serving as press secretary for Princeton’s College Republicans, writing a column for The Princeton Tory, holding the position of president of Harvard’s chapter of the Federalist Society, a conservative organisation.
Following university, he served in a clerkship, worked for a law firm, and taught at Harvard’s Department of Government before becoming involved in politics in 2015.
Scharf is perhaps best known for helping to secure approval for Trump’s $400m White House ballroom, whilst he led the National Capital Planning Commission.
He also served as a federal prosecutor and served as Trump’s counsel, including in Supreme Court cases.
This personnel change comes at a crucial moment for the administration, and will take place just two months prior to the upcoming November midterm election.
Democrats have pledged to begin investigating Trump and his administration should they be successful in the November elections.
The role of the White House counsel is to give advice within the orbit of legal and policy matters pertaining to the presidency.
The position is the first port-of-call for the US Justice Department, and is responsible for presidential pardons, and for helping with judicial appointments and for reviewing the administration.
Additionally, the office helps investigate and lead congressional investigations into the administration, as well as lawsuits filed against the incumbent president when sued in his presidential capacity.
The role was created back in 1943, in the third administration of Franklin Delano Roosevelt. The first holder was Samuel Rosenman, who, like Scharf, was Jewish.
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