Trump-Aligned Lobbyists Achieve New Heights as Corporations Seek Influence

Lobbyists who once aided Donald Trump in fundraising for his campaign and inauguration are now experiencing substantial financial growth through lobbying efforts for various corporations seeking to curry favor with the current administration.

Influential Firms Attracting Major Corporations

From tech giants like Blue Origin and Palantir, to financial institutions such as Nasdaq, numerous high-profile companies are gravitating towards lobbyists Brian Ballard and Jeff Miller, reinforcing their status as pivotal figures in the Trump administration.

Ballard Partners, led by Florida's Brian Ballard, a long-time Trump supporter, generated $14.3 million in lobbying income from federal sources within the year's first quarter alone. This rate suggests the firm could earn three to four times more compared to its $19 million from lobbying activities in 2024.

Lobbying Firms Benefit from New Political Landscape

Ballard Partners, already established by Trump's initial presidency, has secured over 100 new clients for federal lobbying post-November, as per official records.

During Joe Biden's presidency, Jeff Ricchetti, brother to presidential advisor Steven Ricchetti, expanded his lobbying business by affiliating with leading names such as Amazon and TC Energy, more than doubling his previous year's earnings.

In contrast, Ballard Partners and Miller Strategies have seen more rapid growth. Ballard's clientele now includes top organizations like Netflix, American Express, and JP Morgan, alongside the NFL and Blue Origin.

Palantir's Strategic Moves

Palantir has engaged both Ballard and Miller’s lobbying services, with CEO Alex Karp, once a vocal critic of Trump and a Democrat, now extending support to Trump through significant donations and public endorsements. The firm has purportedly seen increased federal contract allocations under the Trump era.

Ballard’s other notable clients include Ripple Labs, which joined shortly after Trump’s reelection and contributed significantly to Trump’s inauguration efforts, and crypto platform Kraken’s parent company, Payward.

Ballard’s influence extends to TikTok, which contracted his firm amid debates over its potential U.S. ban, and the Chinese retail company Shein.

Miller Strategies' Expanding Clientele

Under Jeff Miller, formerly a Trump inaugural committee finance chair and fundraiser for House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, Miller Strategies attained nearly $9 million in the first quarter, forecasting a substantial increase over its $12 million for the whole of 2024.

Post Trump's reelection, Miller has onboarded 55 new clients, including OpenAI and Nasdaq, as well as Softbank Group, the latter pledging $100 million in U.S. investments during a joint event with Trump.

Additional Successful Lobbyists

Lobbyists like Geoff Verhoff of Akin Gump and Marc Lampkin of Brownstein Hyatt are also thriving under Trump, with Verhoff securing $3.4 million in early 2025 and Lampkin obtaining $3 million.

Verhoff's principal client, Nippon Steel, has invested close to $1.7 million with Akin Gump amidst merger discussions with U.S. Steel. Meanwhile, Lampkin's most significant client is Tencent America, a division of the Chinese tech giant.