Two of President Donald Trump’s top political advisers have found an unusual way back into his good graces after drawing his public wrath.
Chris LaCivita and James Blair have donated the six-figure fees they collected from a controversial consulting job in Bosnia and Herzegovina to Trump’s presidential library, the New York Post reported Thursday, citing four sources. Each man earned more than $100,000 from the gig, according to the report.
Two of those sources said Trump learned about the donation secondhand rather than from LaCivita or Blair directly. But the news appears to have landed well. One source told the Post the president was “gloating” and “very braggadocious” about it in private conversations this week, while another confirmed he was happy to hear it.
It marks a sharp turn from earlier this month, when the New York Times revealed that the pair had traveled to Republika Srpska, the ethnically Serbian region of Bosnia, to advise the ruling party of Milorad Dodik ahead of the region’s election. Dodik’s party won. The Bosnian Serb leader has cultivated friendly relations with both Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
LaCivita co-ran Trump’s 2024 campaign, and Blair served as a White House deputy chief of staff until May. Both now hold senior roles at the MAGA Inc. super PAC.
The overseas work fueled criticism that the two were cashing in on their ties to Trump while Republican congressional candidates struggled at home, though some colleagues told the Post the men stayed involved in U.S. races remotely.
Trump responded on Truth Social on Oct. 7 by distancing himself from the pair, writing that they “do not work for me, other than as outside consultants.” He said he would ask them about their other clients and warned that “if there’s a conflict, I will terminate them, immediately!”
Since then, there have been signs of a thaw. Blair, who led the GOP’s push this year to redraw House maps in Republicans’ favor, joined Trump at a South Carolina rally Wednesday. A White House official told the Post that Trump didn’t seem angry with Blair and wasn’t likely to blame him if Republicans suffer heavy losses in the Nov. 3 midterms, describing their discussions as businesslike and focused on tactics.
The donation won’t necessarily spare the two men a tax bill. According to the Post, they will likely still owe income taxes on the money.
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