Ballard Partners, a lobbying firm deeply tied to President Trump and members of his cabinet, has surged to become the highest-paid lobbying shop in Washington D.C. The firm’s lobbying revenue skyrocketed by 300% in the second quarter compared with the previous year, making it the top-earning lobbying shop for the first time ever.
Founded by Trump campaign bundler Brian Ballard, the firm was paid $20 million for lobbying in Q2, dethroning the perennial leader Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck. The haul was an increase of over 40% from Q1 and brought its total this year to nearly $34 million. The company’s founder and top lobbyist was a leading fundraiser for Trump in 2024, bringing in a reported $50 million for the president’s comeback bid.
Ballard Partners is one of a trio of Trump-tied lobbying firms that smashed their records for lobbying revenue in the second quarter of this year, raking in cash from clients like defense contractor Palantir and private prison company GEO Group that hired them after Trump’s election in November. The firms also include Miller Strategies and Continental Strategy, whose founders were Trump campaign fundraisers and advisers.
