Trump threatens to fire top advisers over paid work for pro-Russia Bosnia party

Donald Trump threatened to fire two of his top political advisers, James Blair and Chris LaCivita, after a New York Times report that they did paid work last week for a pro-Russia party in Bosnia's Republika Srpska ahead of Sunday elections.

Why it matters: The episode puts Trump's political operation on the defensive less than a month before the midterms and sharpens scrutiny of US political operatives taking foreign clients that buck the international community.

Data as of Reporting published October 6-7, 2026. Core facts trace to New York Times and CNN reporting via Political Wire aggregation; the NYT report itself was not independently read in this pass.

President Donald Trump on Wednesday distanced himself from two of his top political advisers, James Blair and Chris LaCivita, writing that if their outside work presents a conflict, “I will terminate them, immediately,” CNN reported. The warning came after the New York Times reported that Blair, who leads Trump’s outside political operation, and LaCivita, Trump’s 2024 co-campaign manager, traveled to the Balkans last week for paid work on behalf of a pro-Russian government in Bosnia’s Republika Srpska, ahead of elections there on Sunday.

The revelation lands less than 30 days before the midterm elections, with Blair and LaCivita leading a big-money midterm advertising campaign for the Trump political operation. The New York Post characterized the work as advising a pro-Russia Bosnia party, adding to pressure on the operation over conflicts between its domestic campaign role and foreign clients.

Trump threatens to fire top advisers over paid work for pro-Russia Bosnia party

Sources