Trump is reportedly a big fan of the new White House counsel. Others aren't sure that's a great thing.
Everyone, meet "Mr. Attorney."
Pat Cipollone, the replacement for former White House Counsel Don McGahn, has been on the job for only six months, but he already has a big fan in President Trump, who reportedly dubbed him with the aforementioned moniker. Whereas McGahn never meshed with Trump on a personal or professional level, Cipollone, thanks in large part to his "affable" nature, has excellent chemistry with the president, Politico reports. That has some people, reportedly even Trump's allies, worried, however.
Cipollone reportedly spends a good chunk of time helping Trump find legal pathways to accomplish some of his more controversial goals, such as declaring a national emergency at the southern border or imposing tariffs on Mexico. But some anonymous White House officials are reportedly concerned that the White House counsel's job should not be focused on encouraging the president's actions, but rather to exercise caution and temper some of the more questionable ideas that emerge out of the Oval Office. Cipollone has on occasion done some tempering, Politico reports. For example, he advised Trump in March not to change the administration's stance on the Affordable Care Act and back a lawsuit seeking to overturn the entire law. But, in general, critics within the administration say he treats Trump too similarly to a normal client. Read more on Cipollone at Politico.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Tim is a staff writer at The Week and has contributed to Bedford and Bowery and The New York Transatlantic. He is a graduate of Occidental College and NYU's journalism school. Tim enjoys writing about baseball, Europe, and extinct megafauna. He lives in New York City.
-
Heavenly spectacle in the wilds of CanadaThe Week Recommends ‘Mind-bending’ outpost for spotting animals – and the northern lights
-
Facial recognition: a revolution in policingTalking Point All 43 police forces in England and Wales are set to be granted access, with those against calling for increasing safeguards on the technology
-
Codeword: December 14, 2025The daily codeword puzzle from The Week
-
Senate votes down ACA subsidies, GOP alternativeSpeed Read The Senate rejected the extension of Affordable Care Act tax credits, guaranteeing a steep rise in health care costs for millions of Americans
-
Abrego García freed from jail on judge’s orderSpeed Read The wrongfully deported man has been released from an ICE detention center
-
Indiana Senate rejects Trump’s gerrymander pushSpeed Read The proposed gerrymander would have likely flipped the state’s two Democratic-held US House seats
-
Democrat files to impeach RFK Jr.Speed Read Rep. Haley Stevens filed articles of impeachment against Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
-
$1M ‘Trump Gold Card’ goes live amid travel rule furorSpeed Read The new gold card visa offers an expedited path to citizenship in exchange for $1 million
-
US seizes oil tanker off VenezuelaSpeed Read The seizure was a significant escalation in the pressure campaign against Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro
-
Judge orders release of Ghislaine Maxwell recordsSpeed Read The grand jury records from the 2019 prosecution of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein will be made public
-
Miami elects first Democratic mayor in 28 yearsSpeed Read Eileen Higgins, Miami’s first woman mayor, focused on affordability and Trump’s immigration crackdown in her campaign
