Trump-aligned lobbyists flourish as companies flock to try to gain administration's favor
Several lobbyists who helped Donald Trump raise campaign and inaugural funds are now making an unprecedented amount of money on corporate lobbying -- profiting off of major corporations' efforts to gain favor with the Trump administration in its second term, financial disclosures show.
From Blue Origin and Palantir to Nasdaq and the NFL, hundreds of major companies have been flocking to the firms of lobbyists Brian Ballard and Jeff Miller as the two companies bolster their standing as the Trump administration's power brokers.
Ballard Partners, the firm of Florida-based fundraiser and longtime Trump ally Brian Ballard, made $14.3 million in federal lobbying income just in the first three months of this year, according to lobbying disclosures. At that rate, the company is on track to potentially triple or even quadruple the roughly $19 million it made from federal lobbying in all of 2024.
MORE: Lobbying firm with close ties to Trump is poised to profit from new administration, experts say
Ballard Partners, which had already made its name as an ally of Trump during his first Trump presidency, has signed more than 100 new federal lobbying clients since November, according to filings.
During the presidency of Joe Biden, the lobbying business of Jeff Ricchetti, the brother of then-White House Counselor Steven Ricchetti, thrived in a similar manner, picking up major clients like Amazon and TC Energy and more than doubling its lobbying income in 2021 compared to the year before.
But Ballard Partners and Jeff Miller's firm, Miller Strategies, have expanded even faster, with new Ballard clients including Netflix, American Express and JP Morgan, on top of the NFL and Blue Origin.
The data analytics company Palantir hired both Ballard and Miller's firms earlier this year as Palantir CEO Alex Karp -- once a vocal Trump critic and a Democrat -- has been boosting Trump with a hefty political donation and supportive public comments on Elon Musk and his government-slashing efforts. Karp's company has also reportedly received an increased number of federal contracts under Trump's presidency.
Also among Ballard's new clients are blockchain company Ripple Labs, which hired Ballard just days after Trump's November victory and later gave nearly $5 million in contributions to the Trump-Vance Inaugural Committee; crypto exchange platform Kraken's parent company Payward, which also gave $1 million to the inaugural committee; and crypto exchange company Blockchain.com.
Ballard was also hired by TikTok last September as that company sought to maintain its U.S. footprint amid calls to ban the service. Ballard has also lobbied for the Chinese clothing retail company Shein since May of last year.
Separately, Ballard's firm also represents the Embassy of the Republic of Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and the Embassy of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, according to foreign lobbying disclosures.
Headed by Jeff Miller, who served as a finance chair on Trump's second inaugural committee and was previously former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy's fundraiser, Miller Strategies took in nearly $9 million in just the first three months of this year, which was on track to dwarf the roughly $12 million his firm brought in from federal lobbying during all of 2024.
Miller has signed at least 55 new clients since Trump's reelection according to filings, including OpenAI and Nasdaq, as well as Softbank Group, the Japanese company that announced a $100 million investment in the U.S. during a press conference with Trump in December.
Other lobbyists that recently raised money for Trump and are now enjoying success include Akin Gump's Geoff Verhoff, who brought in $3.4 million during 2025's first three months, and Brownstein Hyatt's Marc Lampkin, who took in $3 million.
Verhoff's single biggest client is Nippon Steel, which so far this year has paid Akin Gump nearly $1.7 million amid the ongoing merger negotiations between Nippon Steel and U.S. Steel.
Lampkin's biggest client is Tencent America LLC, an American arm of the Chinese technology conglomerate Tencent, which owns the major Chinese messaging apps WeChat and QQ.
Trump-aligned lobbyists flourish as companies flock to try to gain administration's favor originally appeared on abcnews.go.com
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
12 minutes ago
Migrants and ICE officers contend with heat, smog and illness after detoured South Sudan flight
WASHINGTON -- Migrants placed on a deportation flight originally bound for South Sudan are now being held in a converted shipping container on a U.S. naval base in Djibouti, where the men and their guards are contending with baking hot temperatures, smoke from nearby burn pits and the looming threat of rocket attacks, the Trump administration said. Officials outlined grim conditions in court documents filed Thursday before a federal judge overseeing a lawsuit challenging Immigration and Customs Enforcement efforts to swiftly remove migrants to countries they didn't come from. Authorities landed the flight at the base in Djibouti, about 1,000 miles (1,600 kilometers) from South Sudan, more than two weeks ago after U.S. District Judge Brian E. Murphy in Boston found the Trump administration had violated his order by swiftly sending eight migrants from countries including Cuba and Vietnam to the east African nation. The judge said that men from other countries must have a real chance to raise fears about dangers they could face in South Sudan. The men's lawyers, though, have still not been able to talk to them, said Robyn Barnard, senior director of refugee advocacy at Human Rights First, whose stated mission is to ensure the United States is a global leader on human rights. Barnard spoke Friday at a hearing of Democratic members of Congress and said some family members of the men had been able to talk to them Thursday. The migrants have been previously convicted of serious crimes in the U.S., and President Donald Trump's administration has said that it was unable to return them quickly to their home countries. The Justice Department has also appealed to the Supreme Court to immediately intervene and allow swift deportations to third countries to resume. The case comes amid a sweeping immigration crackdown by the Republican administration, which has pledged to deport millions of people who are living in the United States illegally. The legal fight became another flashpoint as the administration rails against judges whose rulings have slowed the president's policies. The Trump administration said the converted conference room in the shipping container is the only viable place to house the men on the base in Djibouti, where outdoor daily temperatures rise above 100 degrees Fahrenheit (38 degrees Celsius), according to the declaration from an ICE official. Nearby burn pits are used to dispose of trash and human waste, and the smog cloud makes it hard to breathe, sickening both ICE officers guarding the men and the detainees, the documents state. They don't have access to all the medication they need to protect against infection, and the ICE officers were unable to complete anti-malarial treatment before landing, an ICE official said. 'It is unknown how long the medical supply will last,' Mellissa B. Harper, acting executive deputy associate director of enforcement and removal operations, said in the declaration. The group also lacks protective gear in case of a rocket attack from terrorist groups in Yemen, a risk outlined by the Department of Defense, the documents state. ___
Yahoo
13 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Fortinet (FTNT) Launches New AI-Powered Workspace Security Suite and Powerful FortiDLP Upgrades
We recently published a list of . In this article, we are going to take a look at where Fortinet, Inc. (NASDAQ:FTNT) stands against other buzzing AI stocks on latest news and ratings. On June 4th, Fortinet, Inc. (NASDAQ:FTNT) announced a new AI-powered Workspace Security Suite, the FortiMail Workspace Security, along with powerful FortiDLP upgrades, aiming to better protect modern businesses. The new capabilities allow FortiMail to be recognized as one of the broadest and most customizable email security platforms, protecting beyond email to incorporate browser and collaboration security. Together with new features in FortiDLP, Fortinet's next-generation data loss prevention (DLP) and insider risk management solution, users will be able to avail a unified, AI-powered approach to safeguarding users and sensitive data across today's dynamic work environments. A close-up of a user authenticating into a secure network using a two-factor authentication process. By integrating artificial intelligence with integrated email, browser, collaboration, and data security, the company aims to offer better protection for security teams so that they can turn complexity into clarity and threats into easier tasks handled. 'In today's evolving threat landscape, securing user productivity and sensitive data requires a unified strategy that considers both outsider threats and insider risks. Cybercriminals are aiming their efforts right at users and increasingly leveraging tools like FraudGPT, BlackmailerV3, and ElevenLabs to automate the creation of malware, deepfake videos, phishing websites, and synthetic voices—making attacks more scalable, convincing, and difficult to detect. With our expanded AI-powered FortiMail Workspace Security suite and FortiDLP solutions, Fortinet empowers organizations to stay ahead of threat actors and insider risks while ensuring users, data, and productivity remain secure.' Fortinet, Inc. (NASDAQ:FTNT), a cybersecurity company, provides enterprise-level next-generation firewalls and network security solutions, leveraging artificial intelligence across its cybersecurity products. Overall, FTNT ranks 9th on our list of buzzing AI stocks on latest news and ratings. While we acknowledge the potential of FTNT as an investment, our conviction lies in the belief that some AI stocks hold greater promise for delivering higher returns and have limited downside risk. If you are looking for an extremely cheap AI stock that is also a major beneficiary of Trump tariffs and onshoring, see our free report on the best short-term AI stock. READ NEXT: 20 Best AI Stocks To Buy Now and 30 Best Stocks to Buy Now According to Billionaires. Disclosure: None. This article is originally published at Insider Monkey.
Yahoo
14 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Trump Asks Supreme Court to Allow Education Department Firings
(Bloomberg) -- President Donald Trump asked the US Supreme Court to let him resume dismantling the Department of Education, seeking to lift a lower court order that requires the reinstatement of as many as 1,400 workers. Next Stop: Rancho Cucamonga! ICE Moves to DNA-Test Families Targeted for Deportation with New Contract Where Public Transit Systems Are Bouncing Back Around the World US Housing Agency Vulnerable to Fraud After DOGE Cuts, Documents Warn Trump Said He Fired the National Portrait Gallery Director. She's Still There. The emergency filing Friday challenges a federal district judge's conclusion that Trump's effort to shut down the department would leave it unable to perform duties required under US law, including managing federal student loans, aiding state education programs and enforcing civil rights law. The filing marks the 17th time since Trump's inauguration that his administration has asked the Supreme Court for help as he seeks to implement a far-reaching agenda through executive orders and other unilateral steps. It's the first Supreme Court clash to squarely address Trump's authority to dismantle entities created by Congress, including the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, the US Agency for International Development and the US Institute of Peace. Education Secretary Linda McMahon announced March 11 that the department was cutting half its staff through a reduction in force. Trump followed with a March 20 executive order that said McMahon should 'to the maximum extent appropriate and permitted by law, take all necessary steps to facilitate the closure of the Department of Education.' The effort is being challenged in two lawsuits, one brought primarily by states led by Democrats and the other filed by several Massachusetts public school systems and unions. US District Judge Myong Joun in Boston ruled in May that the personnel cuts would 'likely cripple the department.' He said the challengers were likely to succeed in showing that Trump lacked power to effectively dissolve the department by getting rid of its employees, closing regional offices and moving programs to other federal agencies. 'A department without enough employees to perform statutorily mandated functions is not a department at all,' Joun wrote. 'This court cannot be asked to cover its eyes while the department's employees are continuously fired and units are transferred out until the department becomes a shell of itself.' The Boston-based 1st US Circuit Court of Appeals on Wednesday refused to block Joun's ruling, paving the way for Trump's Supreme Court filing. Cavs Owner Dan Gilbert Wants to Donate His Billions—and Walk Again YouTube Is Swallowing TV Whole, and It's Coming for the Sitcom What America's Pizza Economy Is Telling Us About the Real One The SEC Pinned Its Hack on a Few Hapless Day Traders. The Full Story Is Far More Troubling Is Elon Musk's Political Capital Spent? ©2025 Bloomberg L.P. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
