What Alina Habba's Life Has Been Like Since Trump Booted Her Back To New Jersey
Donald Trump might be making fewer appearances on Alina Habba's Instagram feed these days, but the White House counselor turned interim New Jersey district attorney hasn't exactly been sitting still. The president initially appointed his former attorney to work directly under him as Trump readied for his second term. But then, in March 2025, the divisive politician unceremoniously booted Habba back to New Jersey instead. No one really knows why he suddenly wanted her out of the White House, but all signs point to Habba trying to claw her way back into Trump's inner circle.
The controversial lawyer let slip during a March 2025 interview with "Real America's Voice" that she didn't want the district attorney job in the first place, but the president convinced her to take it. Habba put on a happy face during her swearing-in ceremony and continued to consistently post (and repost) on X, formerly known as Twitter, alongside boasting about what she deemed worthy achievements. All in all, it seemed that she was busier than ever but still preoccupied with her boss. The staunch loyalist even shared a snap of herself alongside a beaming Trump in celebration of his birthday in June 2025.
Habba might also be a little nervous about the future. Interim district attorneys are only allowed to hold office for 120 days. Trump, however, has shown that he has little regard for this law and might very well find a way to keep his former attorney in office for longer than that. Or maybe he'll let her resume work at her legal firm come the end of July 2025, far away from the hubbub of the White House, which she's made clear she loves. Word on the street is that Trump has no plans to appoint Habba in the position permanently.
Alina Habba is still doing Trump's work
Alina Habba kicked off her tenure as New Jersey's interim district attorney by setting her sights on her (read: Donald Trump's) Democratic rivals. The controversial attorney's approach has worked thus far too. As fellow attorney Nancy Erika Smith informed Politico, "I'm fighting with a lot of people about being scared and being afraid to speak out." She added, "[Habba] doesn't care about law, she doesn't care about ethics." This might be the exact reason the president appointed her in the first place. Habba promised to turn New Jersey red again and has started by prosecuting some of the state's most prominent Democrats, launching investigations into the state's governor and attorney general.
But Trump's worst lawyer got smacked with legal trouble in May 2025 after charging Newark Mayor Ras Baraka with trespassing while he was visiting a Newark migrant detention center. She later dropped the charges but Baraka wasn't having it and sued Habba for malicious prosecution. Baraka's lawyers posited that she had "directed and ratified the unlawful arrest" of the mayor (via Politico), and accused the Trump staffer of delivering a blow to his reputation by smearing him on television and social media alike. "Habba was not serving in a prosecutorial function when she acted with DHS agents in the scheme to arrest Mayor Baraka," the lawsuit pointed out.
It seems the interim AG will have her hands full defending herself against Baraka's allegations (hopefully she won't be representing herself). Should all else fail, Habba could always join the long list of former Trump employees who sought refuge at Fox News (there's chatter that this might very well be in the cards, in fact). But given Habba's numerous awkward moments on Fox News, they might pass on adding her to the roster.