{"id":2598794,"date":"2026-05-05T06:07:00","date_gmt":"2026-05-05T10:07:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/the-lobbying-swamp-is-alive-and-well-in-trumps-second-term\/"},"modified":"2026-05-05T06:11:52","modified_gmt":"2026-05-05T10:11:52","slug":"the-lobbying-swamp-is-alive-and-well-in-trumps-second-term","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/the-lobbying-swamp-is-alive-and-well-in-trumps-second-term\/","title":{"rendered":"The lobbying swamp is alive and well in Trump&#8217;s second term"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">22<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fthe-lobbying-swamp-is-alive-and-well-in-trumps-second-term%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2598794&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The article argues that despite Donald Trump\u2019s campaign promises to \u201cdrain the swamp,\u201d the close ties between government power and lobbying-often described as the revolving door-are still functioning in his second term.  <\/p>\n<p>It points to continued scrutiny of Trump-related finances (including crypto-linked wealth) and the growth of prediction markets such as Kalshi and Polymarket,which have faced insider-trading accusations and federal investigations. It also notes that congress has not passed a bill banning lawmakers from trading stocks, despite bipartisan support and trump\u2019s pledge to sign it.  <\/p>\n<p>A key focus is personnel and lobbying ethics. The Campaign Legal Center says Trump in his second term has nominated 47 lobbyists for senior administration roles, many already confirmed, and that under earlier ethics standards, 16 of these officials would likely have been barred due to lobbying agencies they later joined. The group also alleges that 35 corporate lobbyists failed to report certain donations tied to Trump-related projects-such as the White House ballroom, Kennedy Center renovation, Trump libary oversight, and Freedom 250-and that it has filed an ethics complaint seeking examination.  <\/p>\n<p>The article adds that while Trump\u2019s first term included an ethics rule restricting hiring lobbyists for agencies they lobbied within the prior two years, no similar restriction was reinstated in the second term. The White House responds that all hires-including former lobbyists-must follow conflicts-of-interest laws and undergo ethics screening.<\/p>\n<p>it places Trump\u2019s behavior in broader context by <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >citing similar revolving-door patterns<\/a> under Obama and Biden, and notes that lobbying spending rose substantially in 2025, with major gains linked to Trump-affiliated firms.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<article class=\"fn-body\">\n<p>During his first campaign for office, President <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/white-house\/4551430\/trump-raise-tariffs-european-cars-25-percent\/\">Donald Trump<\/a> vowed to drain the swamp, but the cottage industry profiting off proximity to power, not to mention the revolving door between the federal government and lobbying industry, appears to remain alive and well in the second year of his second term.<\/p>\n<p>The reported surge in the Trump family\u2019s own worth, linked to cryptocurrency investments, has received close coverage over the past 16 months. Meanwhile, prediction markets such as Kalshi and Polymarket, where users can place bets on political outcomes, have surged in popularity in recent years. These platforms have been rife with accusations of insider trading, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/texas-investigating-boeing-supplier-over-dei-policies-amid-aircraft-safety-concerns\/\" title=\"Texas Investigates Boeing Supplier for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Policies Amid Aircraft Safety Worries\">prompting federal investigations<\/a>. And to top it all off, Congress has failed to send a bill to the president\u2019s desk banning lawmakers from trading stocks, despite broad bipartisan appeal and a promise from Trump himself to sign a bill into law.<\/p>\n<section class=\"explore-more-section\" id=\"wex-recommended-widget\">\n<div class=\"magazine-container single\">\n<h1 class=\"magazine-title mt-2\">Recommended Stories<\/h1>\n<p>             <i class=\"fa-solid fa-play icon\"><\/i>         <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-grid\">\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/white-house\/4554494\/trump-trolls-jerome-powell-in-recent-x-post\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Trump trolls Jerome Powell in recent X post<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/white-house\/4554424\/trump-ai-probably-kill-jobs-also-create-a-lot\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Trump says AI will probably kill jobs but also \u2018create a lot of jobs\u2019<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/white-house\/4551571\/trump-warns-iran-striking-vessels\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Trump warns Iran will be \u2018blown off the face of the earth\u2019 if US vessels hit in Strait of Hormuz<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p>Furthermore, an analysis by the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/campaignlegal.org\/sites\/default\/files\/2026-04\/Former%20Lobbyists%20Now%20Have%20Unlimited%20Access%20to%20Lead%20the%20Agencies%20They%20Lobbied_4.27.26.pdf\">Campaign Legal Center<\/a> found that, in his second term, Trump has <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/white-house\/4549089\/is-todd-blanche-acing-attorney-general-job-interview\/\" type=\"link\" id=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/white-house\/4549089\/is-todd-blanche-acing-attorney-general-job-interview\/\">nominated 47 lobbyists<\/a> to serve in high-ranking administration posts, with many already having been confirmed by the Senate. CLC notes that, based on past ethics standards, 16 of those administration officials would have been barred from taking their government jobs, as they were at agencies that they\u2019d directly lobbied before joining the Trump administration.<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>CLC also found that 35 corporate lobbyists have failed to report donations to four Trump projects, an apparent violation of federal lobbying law. These projects include the president\u2019s <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/white-house\/4546389\/trump-sides-with-rand-paul-white-house-ballroom-bill\/\">White House<\/a> ballroom, the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts renovation, the nonprofit group overseeing Trump\u2019s presidential library in Florida, and Freedom 250, the organization overseeing plans for America\u2019s 250th Independence Day celebrations this summer. CLC has filed an ethics complaint with the office of the U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia seeking an investigation into those donations.<\/p>\n<p>During his first term, Trump, like former Presidents Barack Obama and Joe Biden, established an ethics rule barring the hiring of lobbyists to federal departments and agencies they\u2019d lobbied in the past two years, but the president did not reestablish those rules in his second term.<\/p>\n<p>The White House told the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em> all administration hires, including former lobbyists, are required to comply with conflicts of interest statutes, and that \u201cany former lobbyist appointed by the President is required to file a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/john-kerry-financial-disclosures-show-millions-in-income-from-stocks-including-oil-companies\/\" title=\"John Kerry Financial Disclosures Show Millions in Income From Stocks, Including Oil Companies\">public financial disclosure report<\/a>, which is screened by ethics officials for potential conflicts of interest.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe only <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/democrats-investigate-lutnicks-alleged-gordie-howe-bridge-meeting\/\" title=\"Democrats investigate Lutnick&#039;s alleged Gordie Howe Bridge meeting\">special interest guiding<\/a> the Trump Administration\u2019s decision-making is the best interest of the American people,\u201d White House spokesman Davis Ingle said in a statement.<\/p>\n<p><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.propublica.org\/article\/we-found-a-staggering-281-lobbyists-whove-worked-in-the-trump-administration\" type=\"link\" id=\"https:\/\/www.propublica.org\/article\/we-found-a-staggering-281-lobbyists-whove-worked-in-the-trump-administration\">ProPublica found<\/a> that, halfway through the first Trump administration, nearly 300 lobbyists had been hired to government jobs. The total number of lobbyists working in the second Trump administration, whether or not their jobs required Senate confirmation, remains unknown.<\/p>\n<p>And Trump is hardly the only modern president to fail to shut down the government-interest group pipeline. <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/story\/2015\/12\/barack-obama-revolving-door-lobbying-217042\">Obama<\/a>, who famously vowed to close the \u201crevolving door,\u201d had hired more than 100 lobbyists to work in the government by the time his second term had ended. <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.wsj.com\/livecoverage\/latest-updates-biden-trump-election-2020\/card\/JoZ9MsykGqwQ8EA40uul?eafs_enabled=false\">Biden<\/a>, who made a similar promise, staffed his presidential transition team with some 40 lobbyists back in 2020.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think what you\u2019re seeing happen here is that it\u2019s truly difficult to change how Washington operates,\u201d one senior Trump 1.0 official-turned-lobbyist told the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em>. \u201cMost <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/you-are-our-champion-novak-djokovic-gets-heros-welcome-in-serbia\/\" title=\"&#039;You Are Our Champion&#039;: Novak Djokovic Gets Hero\u2019s Welcome in Serbia\">high-ranking government officials<\/a> are taking a massive pay cut to work for the government, and once you get out, you\u2019re going to try to make as much money as possible. On the other hand, this is a much smaller town than most people think. The pool of potential hires the president has to choose from, especially if he wants his agenda implemented effectively, simply isn\u2019t very deep.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/white-house\/4549089\/is-todd-blanche-acing-attorney-general-job-interview\/\">IS TODD BLANCHE ACING HIS ATTORNEY GENERAL JOB INTERVIEW?<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Whatever the reasons behind Trump\u2019s personnel decisions, the lobbying industry overall had a banner year in 2025, taking in $5 billion,\u00a0an increase of 14% compared to 2024, according to <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.opensecrets.org\/news\/2026\/01\/lobbying-firms-took-in-a-record-5-billion-in-2025\/\">Open Secrets<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/business\/2025\/10\/25\/maga-lobbying-lights-up-k-street-money-pours\/\" type=\"link\" id=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/business\/2025\/10\/25\/maga-lobbying-lights-up-k-street-money-pours\/\"><em>Washington Post<\/em> reported<\/a> in October 2025 that the six lobbying shops that saw the biggest uptick in business were all closely tied to Trumpworld, none more so than Ballard Partners, where White House chief of staff Susie Wiles previously worked.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Trump vowed to \u201cdrain the swamp,\u201d yet lobbying links endure<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2645,"featured_media":2598797,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/AP26121828112256_75c214.jpg?w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[538],"tags":[8773,4198,5894,32187,3634],"class_list":["post-2598794","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-washington-examiner","tag-corruption","tag-lobbying","tag-politics","tag-second-term","tag-trump"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/AP26121828112256_75c214.jpg?w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2598794","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2645"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2598794"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2598794\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2598799,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2598794\/revisions\/2598799"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2598797"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2598794"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2598794"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2598794"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}