Trump's close ties to lobbyists show how his biggest promise has 'faded away': report

Donald Trump once ran a campaign with the slogan "drain the swamp." His allegation was that wheelers and dealers were controlling Washington, leaving the everyday man abandoned without an advocate. He promised to be that. But now, things have changed, according to a repot

According to the Washington Post, those insiders and lobbyists are welcomed into Trump's senior leadership as advisers, giving their lobbying companies even more influence.

“He gives them assurances that there will be life after Nov. 5,” said one of Bryan Lanza's colleagues, referring to Election Day. Lanza is a partner at Mercury Public Affairs and a senior Trump campaign adviser.

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"Advocates for corporate interests, including companies based in China and other foreign countries denounced by Trump, now sit at virtually every level of his campaign," the report revealed. "Lobbyists are represented among high-level staff, informal advisers and party faithful who planned the summer convention in Milwaukee, as people with access to Trump or insight into his at-times erratic decision-making turn that knowledge into moneymaking opportunities."

Trump's own campaign manager, Susie Wiles, is a Mercury partner along with Lanza. The clients she has been pushing deal with tobacco and vaping, which Trump has made clear he opposes. Trump even mentioned his opposition to smoking again when speaking about his "parenting style" to a Detroit audience.

Yet, when it comes time for action, meaningful changes and regulations have disappeared. A subsidiary of Reynolds American became one of Trump's largest political action committee donors in 2024, the report said.

In fact, one of big tobacco's lobbyists, Brian Ballard, bundled more than $50 million for Trump, the Post said, citing campaign advisers.

The Post pointed out that even Trump's opposition to China is up for negotiation, as two campaign aides, Kellyanne Conway and David Urban, serve as TikTok lobbyists.

The fossil fuel industry is another sitting pretty with Trump. Big oil executives came to Mar-a-Lago for an event in the spring where Trump told them they had to pony up $1 billion to get him elected. Then, and only then, would he roll back President Joe Biden's environmental regulations.

"Meanwhile, the expression 'drain the swamp,' a ubiquitous line in Trump’s speeches and online posts when he first ran for president, has all but faded away," said the Post.

Read the full report here.