Let $G=GL_n(F)$, where $F$ is a $p$-adic field of characteristic zero and residual characteristic $p$. Assuming that $p>2n$, we compare germs of characters of irreducible admissible representations of $G$ with germs of characters of unipotent representations of direct products of general linear groups over finite extensions of $F$. We show that the character of an irreducible admissible representation has an $s$-asymptotic germ expansion, for some semisimple $s$ in the Lie algebra of $G$. Furthermore, this expansion matches with the $0$-asymptotic expansion (that is, the local character expansion) of the character of a unipotent representation of the centralizer of $s$ in $G$.

AMS 2000 Mathematics subject classification: Primary 22E50; 22E35