Trump picks Will Scharf ’08 as new White House counsel

President Donald Trump announced on Sunday that staff secretary and Princeton alumnus Will Scharf ’08 will be his new White House counsel beginning Sept. 1.

Scharf will replace David Warrington as White House counsel, the top legal adviser for the White House.

“I know Will well!” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post announcing the appointment, noting Scharf’s previous roles on his legal teams. “Will is Tough, Strong, and Smart!” 

Scharf has represented Trump in multiple cases, most notably in the 2024 landmark Supreme Court case that ruled that presidents have broad immunity from prosecutions for official actions taken in office.

He also currently serves as the chair of the National Capital Planning Commission, where he helped win approval for Trump’s $400 million effort to build a ballroom at the location of the former White House East Wing. The commission has seen increased scrutiny as Trump pushes for an unprecedented degree of construction and renovation in the nation’s capital.

The White House counsel advises the president on legal and policy matters. Their office oversees federal judicial appointments and handles presidential pardons, alongside serving as the point of contact for when the president is sued in his official capacity.

At Princeton, Scharf majored in history and was the president of Charter Club and the Interclub Council. He was charged in February 2008 by the Princeton Borough Police for serving alcohol to minors and maintaining a nuisance in his senior year.

The charges stemmed from a December 2007 incident at Charter where one student poured beer down another student’s back, leading to a physical altercation. The charges were later dismissed by the municipal court after one of the prosecution’s key witnesses denied being served alcohol, and Scharf’s lawyer wrote at the time that Scharf would sue the borough for “false arrest, malicious prosecution, and federal civil rights claims.”

He ultimately did not sue, but told The Daily Princetonian in 2008 that the charges “had a tremendous effect on my emotional and psychological state, especially as I’m trying to finish my thesis.”

Beginning in November 2007, Scharf was also a member of a University coalition addressing high-risk drinking on campus.

Scharf unsuccessfully ran for Undergraduate Student Government (USG) president in 2005. In the election, he was the only sophomore in a field of six other juniors and positioned himself as an outsider candidate.

“I represent the average angry student on campus, the student who is not happy with the way things are on campus, the student who thinks the USG is not representing him or her, the student who thinks the administration is doing a horrible job,” Scharf told the ‘Prince’ at the time.

The following year, Scharf planned to run for USG vice president but decided against doing so after being elected Charter Club president.

Scharf was active in conservative circles on campus, writing for The Princeton Tory and serving as the press secretary for the College Republicans. In a 2006 column for The Tory, he called for “politically blind hiring” of faculty and “an apolitical classroom environment.”

Scharf was also involved in a number of Jewish groups and served as the president of the Chabad Student Board. Scharf’s parents, Fiona and Michael Scharf ’64, were the founding benefactors of the Center for Jewish Life (CJL) and provided donations for the purchase of 15 Edwards Pl., the location of the Scharf Family Chabad House.

After graduating from Princeton, Scharf attended Harvard Law School. He worked in private practice before working as former Missouri Governor Eric Greitens’ policy director and serving as an assistant U.S. attorney in the Eastern District of Missouri. In 2024, Scharf unsuccessfully ran for Missouri attorney general.

Scharf did not immediately respond to phone calls and emails for comment.

Sena Chang is the associate News editor for the ‘Prince’ leading investigations. She is from Japan and South Korea, and she often covers local politics and student life. She can be reached at sena[at]dailyprincetonian.com.

Oliver Wu is the assistant News editor for the ‘Prince’ leading town coverage, focused on the Municipality of Princeton and beyond. He is from Stony Brook, N.Y., and can be reached at oliver.wu[at]dailyprincetonian.com.

Please send any corrections to corrections[at]dailyprincetonian.com.