Trump says he may terminate two advisers over reported Republika Srpska work

Donald Trump said on 7 October that he would ask advisers Chris LaCivita and James Blair about their other clients and terminate them if he found a conflict, after reports that they had assisted the government of Republika Srpska in Bosnia and Herzegovina ahead of an election. His statement leaves their roles in his political operation, and any decision about them, unresolved.

Trump described both men as outside consultants. He said he had no idea who else they worked for and would ask them. His promise to terminate them was conditional on finding a conflict; the reporting does not establish that he has found one or ended either relationship.

What is reported about the Republika Srpska trip

The Guardian said Trump’s remarks followed a New York Times report that LaCivita and Blair traveled to Republika Srpska to assist its government before an election over the weekend. Axios also described the visit, but cited the New York Times for that part of its account. The two reports therefore do not independently establish the details of the assignment.

The Guardian attributed another detail to the New York Times: that each adviser was paid hundreds of thousands of dollars. That amount remains a reported claim in the available accounts, rather than a figure independently established by the Guardian or Axios. Neither Trump’s statement nor the reporting cited here establishes the terms of the advisers’ work.

The Guardian reported that a MAGA Inc. spokesperson told the New York Times the two men remained engaged in US midterm work while traveling. According to that response, they held a Saturday morning call with race captains to discuss recent survey data. The Guardian said it had also contacted MAGA Inc. for comment, without reporting a separate response to its inquiry.

Why LaCivita and Blair matter to Trump’s midterm operation

LaCivita co-managed Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign, according to the Guardian. Blair was a campaign adviser and later became a White House deputy chief of staff. The Guardian said Blair took leave from that post in April to work with MAGA Inc. and help Republican candidates in the midterms; Trump said at the time that Blair would return to the White House afterward.

Their reported overseas engagement has drawn attention while MAGA Inc., the Trump-backed political committee with which both men are working, prepares to increase its assistance to Republican candidates in November, the Guardian reported. That timing helps explain the immediate question raised by Trump’s statement: whether the other work presents a conflict with the consultants’ US political roles. Trump has said he will ask, but no finding is reported.

Federal Election Commission records show the scale of MAGA Inc.’s operation. Its committee overview lists $415,776,043.10 in cash on hand at 31 August 2026, the latest coverage date displayed in the financial summary. That figure describes the committee’s reported finances at that date; it does not establish what either consultant earned from work in Republika Srpska.

What remains undecided

Trump’s statement sets out a possible next step, rather than a completed personnel change. The available reporting does not establish that he has reviewed LaCivita’s or Blair’s clients, identified a conflict or terminated either man. It also leaves the precise scope and payment terms of their reported Republika Srpska assignment unverified in the accessible accounts.

For now, the distinction is between the president’s own conditional pledge and the reported reason it arose. The Guardian and Axios report his comments about the consultants; the account of their election work and the payment claim trace back to the New York Times. Whether Trump’s promised inquiry produces any decision remains open.