Once a trusted ally known for his deep ties to Donald Trump, lobbyist Brian Ballard suddenly found himself ostracized from the White House’s inner circle following a crypto-related incident and a poorly received Truth Social post in March.
On a Sunday morning in early March, President Trump posted a Truth Social message promoting the “Crypto Strategic Reserve,” unaware that one of the firms, Ripple Labs, was a paying client of Ballard’s lobbying firm. The post came after a Ballard employee personally lobbied Trump at a fundraiser at Mar-a-Lago, repeatedly pushing the president to make a pro-crypto statement and even offering him a message he suggested.
Trump only realized the connection after he posted the message. An enraged Trump told colleagues, “He’s no longer wanted anywhere,” referring to Ballard, according to two people familiar with the matter. White House staff have since reportedly been instructed not to meet with Ballard, marking a dramatic decline for one of Washington’s most influential lobbyists.
Ballard’s firm, Ballard Partners, has long been seen as an influencer in Trump’s world. Its close relationship with Trump, its role in previous campaign fundraising and its employment of key Trump allies such as Susie Wiles and Pam Bondi have helped it cultivate an image as Trump’s definitive lobbyist. That perception has helped it land 130 new clients since Trump took office, including giants such as JPMorgan, Palantir, Chevron and Netflix.
Ballard denied using his relationships for business and denied the suggestion that he was sidelined. “We are accustomed to false accusations from anonymous sources because of the success our firm has had,” he told POLITICO, arguing that his firm continues to win wins for its clients and build relationships with management.
The incident that ignited the firestorm, the crypto sharing, is still a sore point within the White House. Sources say Trump rebuffed repeated requests from the Ballard staffer to promote crypto, but eventually relented and relayed the message to an employee. The incident erupted immediately: crypto consultant David Sacks reportedly called Wiles in anger, prompting internal investigations that quickly traced the raid to Ballard’s firm.
To make matters worse, the original post didn’t mention Trump’s own crypto project. A follow-up post added more companies, but by then the damage was done.
*This is not investment advice.
