President-elect Donald Trump has picked his personal lawyer Alina Habba — who defended him in multiple high-profile cases — to serve as his Counselor to the President in a slew of cabinet nominees he announced Sunday night.
“Alina has been a tireless advocate for Justice, a fierce Defender of the Rule of Law, and an invaluable Advisor to my Campaign and Transition Team,” Trump said in a statement.
Habba, 40, joined Trump’s team of attorneys in 2021 and represented the 45th president in E. Jean Carroll’s defamation lawsuit and New York Attorney General Letitia James’ civil fraud case.
“She has been unwavering in her loyalty, and unmatched in her resolve – standing with me through numerous ‘trials,’ battles, and countless days in Court. Few understand the Weaponization of the ‘Injustice’ System better than Alina, who has fought relentlessly against the full force of Lawfare with courage and an unshakable commitment to Justice,” the incoming president added.
Habba, who founded the New Jersey-based law firm Habba Madio & Associates, celebrated her nomination on X.
“Honor of my life to serve the 45th and 47th President and the American people,” she tweeted alongside an American flag emoji.
The Counselor to the President provides legal advice to the commander in chief and serves as his or her attorney.
Trump had previously been rumored to be eyeing Habba for the job of press secretary but she put the rumors to rest last month in a statement with a hint foreshadowing Sunday’s announcement.
“While I am flattered by the support and speculation, the role of Press Secretary is not a role I am considering,” Habba said at the time. “Although I love screaming from a podium I will be better served in other capacities.”
Just a day later, the 47th president named Karoline Leavitt, his campaign press secretary, as his incoming White House press secretary. At just 27 years old, Leavitt will be the youngest in the post in US history.
In addition to Habba, Trump announced a flurry of other White House staffing picks on Truth Social Sunday night.
He named Christopher Landau, who was Trump’s Ambassador to Mexico in his first term, as his nominee for Deputy Secretary of State to serve under his pick for Secretary of State, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio.
The future president also named Michael Anton, who served in Trump’s National Security Council in his first term, as Director of Policy Planning at the State Department; and Michael Needham, Rubio’s former chief of staff, as Counselor of the State Department.
