Donald Trump said he would fire Chris LaCivita and James Blair outside work immediately if there is a conflict after reported they visited Republika Srpska. He said the two are outside consultants, but he also said he would ask who else they work for and terminate them if any conflict appears.
Republika Srpska and Trump
On Tuesday, reported that LaCivita and Blair visited Republika Srpska ahead of the Sunday elections there and were paid hundreds of thousands of dollars through a DC-based law firm retained by the territory’s government. Trump responded on Wednesday with a warning that he would act immediately if their outside work collided with his interests.
Trump said, “They are allowed to do work for others, just like all consultants in Washington, D.C. I do not have any idea who else they work for but will, on reflection, ask them and, if there’s a conflict, I will terminate them, immediately!” He also said the pair do not work for him other than as outside consultants.
Chris LaCivita and James Blair
The report lands on two advisers Trump chose to lead campaign operations ahead of the 3 November elections. LaCivita was formerly a senior adviser on Trump’s 2024 campaign, and Blair was a White House adviser who took a temporary leave of absence to head up Maga Inc. Trump’s response leaves their paid work elsewhere intact unless he decides that one of those roles creates a conflict.
That is the practical issue now: the arrangement is not simply about consulting on the side, but about whether work tied to Republika Srpska can sit alongside election-related duties for Trump. Trump’s own line draws the boundary, and he said he would end the relationship immediately if that line is crossed.
Washington DC work
The report also ties the payment to a Washington DC law firm, which is where the conflict question gets specific. If the advisers were paid through that channel for work connected to Republika Srpska, the issue is not just who hired them, but whether their outside clients overlap with the campaign operation Trump said they were chosen to run.
