Stephen Miller is running the White House now, and the lobbyists who’ve spent decades greasing the wheels in Washington are suddenly finding out that the ride is a lot bumpier than they’re used to. Miller’s office has issued a memo requiring advance approval from the White House counsel’s office before registered lobbyists can get policy meetings with White House staff on the complex. POLITICO first reported the directive.
The memo made the purpose pretty clear: “No President in history has fought more relentlessly, selflessly or courageously for the American People than President Trump. Following his example, White House staff are expected to dedicate their time unwaveringly to the working people of the nation.” That’s not exactly the kind of language that makes K Street feel warm and fuzzy.
The new rule lands right in the middle of a very public spat over lobbying access during the tenure of Miller’s predecessor, Susie Wiles. Former senior RFK Jr. adviser Calley Means accused Ballard Partners of wielding undue influence inside the White House, and also took aim at Continental Strategy, where Wiles’ daughter is a partner. Both firms pushed back hard. Ballard Partners founder Brian Ballard said in a statement on X that his firm’s interactions with Wiles “have been limited and have been the exception, not the rule.” Continental Strategy called Means’ claims “inaccurate and baseless,” and Wiles’ own spokesperson called the accusations “outrageous, defamatory, and provably false.” For the record, Stephen Miller’s White House lobbying memo notes that Ballard’s firm is on pace to pull in more than $100 million this year, up from $24 million in 2020. So business was apparently pretty good.
Miller is a whole different animal. A dozen Republican lobbyists who spoke with POLITICO basically described a man who cannot be lobbied. Hunter Morgen, a Ballard Partners lobbyist who worked with Miller in the first Trump administration, put it plainly: “He doesn’t operate based on relationships. He operates based on policy outcomes that will advance the president’s agenda.” One anonymous lobbyist was even more blunt, saying Miller is “impossible to lobby, no one can do it, not even the people that you would think are closest.”
The smart money on K Street is now pivoting. One trade association CEO told POLITICO that getting a direct line to Trump himself has become more important. Others said they’d stick to working with officials on the Domestic Policy Council and National Economic Council rather than try their luck with Miller. Corporate executives, for their part, have had chances to speak directly with Trump at White House events and by phone, so the door isn’t completely shut, it’s just not being answered by the guy who brought a policy briefing to a Christmas party.
White House spokesperson Taylor Rogers summed it up cleanly: “President Trump’s loyalty is to the American people, not lobbyists. His team is dedicated to advancing the President’s agenda, not the agenda of D.C. lobbyists.” Miller’s strongest allies are immigration enforcement advocates and the Make America Healthy Again movement, and both groups see this moment as their opening. The swamp creatures on K Street spent years perfecting the art of access. Stephen Miller just changed the locks.
