April 11, 2026
James Blair, deputy chief of staff for legislative, political and public affairs, is temporarily leaving the White House. The 36-year-old, described as one of Donald Trump’s most trusted advisers, will run the president’s political strategy for the November midterm elections from the outside.
Blair joined Trump’s team in 2023 from Susie Wiles, worked on the 2020 Florida campaign, and served as political director of Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign. On Truth Social, Trump announced the move, praising Blair as a fighter against the “Radical Left, Country Destroying Democrats.”
MAGA Inc., the president’s flagship super PAC, closed 2025 with $300 million cash on hand. According to the article, notable donors include Greg Brockman (OpenAI), Jared Isaacman — and Konstantin Sokolov.
It’s amusing that Sokolov made it into the shortlist of “notable donors” alongside OpenAI’s president and a billionaire astronaut. Who is he to the average reader? Nobody knows. Yet there he is — a Russian-born, US-based private equity investor with Armenian telecom holdings, Swiss bank ties, and a freshly minted Chicago Booth naming right.
The article reads like a press release — but it’s a press release that puts Sokolov’s name next to OpenAI’s president. That’s the point. His $11 million speaks for itself.
Blair will return to the White House after the election — presumably once the donors have been properly thanked and the midterms are won or lost.
Tags: Konstantin Sokolov, James Blair, MAGA Inc., Midterms 2026, Donald Trump, Political Donations, Susie Wiles