Each new president and each new Congress ushers in a new set of power players to Washington, a group of insiders, lobbyists, advisers and aides who have unique insight — and connections — to make things happen in town.
President-elect Donald Trump is no different. A number of figures have been floating around Trump’s orbit for years. They’ve leveraged their knowledge of the president’s party into lucrative careers in the nation’s capital. Let’s dig in.
Outside players.
– Jeff Miller. Miller Strategies has a stable of blue-chip clients including Altria, Apple, Blackstone, Charles Schwab, Delta, Oracle and Southern Company. But most importantly, Miller is one of Trump’s top fundraisers. Miller raised $120 million for Trump last cycle and will almost certainly beat that record this time around.
– Brian Ballard. Ballard is an institution in Florida and built a healthy business in the first Trump term. But if you ask around the Trump orbit about Ballard, you’ll hear that he endorsed Gov. Ron DeSantis this time around. Yet Ballard still has a lot of friends in Trump world.
– Arthur Schwartz. Schwartz is a longtime behind-the-scenes operator who has extremely close relationships with corporations looking for advice in Trump’s D.C. He’s been Donald Trump Jr.’s political adviser for years and is close to the Trump family and Vice President-elect JD Vance. Schwartz also has a big House and Senate leadership network.
– Cliff Sims. Sims is playing an integral role in the Trump transition effort. Sims served in the first Trump administration, penned a critical book about the president but still found himself back in the mix shortly afterward. With John Ratcliffe poised to be CIA director, Sims may find himself in Langley; he worked for Ratcliffe when the Texas Republican was director of the Office of National Intelligence.
– Andy Surabian. Surabian was one of the architects of Vance’s Senate campaign and a close adviser on the VP campaign as well.
– Johnny DeStefano. DeStefano was a key player in Trump’s first White House, helping run personnel for the 45th president. Now, he’s the top outside adviser to Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.), a leading candidate to be the next Senate majority leader.
– Wayne Berman. Berman is the longtime head of global government affairs for Blackstone. He’s been a power player for decades. There are efforts afoot to recruit Berman to be deputy secretary of Treasury.
Lawmakers.
– Speaker Mike Johnson: For the first time ever, Trump has a speaker who he is ideologically simpatico with. Johnson tied himself to Trump, and now Trump gets a congressional leader who will back his agenda — for better or worse.
– Sen. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.): Barrasso will be the GOP whip next year and has spent a ton of time with Trump on the campaign trail. Through Schwartz and other figures, Barrasso has a lot of ties to Trump world and is ideologically close to the president-elect.
– House Republican Conference Chair Elise Stefanik: There’s no one who has tied herself to Trump quite like Stefanik. It may work out for her, as Stefanik has been angling for U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. But if Republicans have a slim margin in the House, her dream could hit a brick wall.
– House Judiciary Committee Chair Jim Jordan (R-Ohio): Jordan is already one of the most powerful men on the Hill, boasting a massive staff and an equally large megaphone. Trump sees Jordan as a fellow ideological traveler.
– Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.): Trump’s golfing buddy — and one of his closest allies — will be the chair of the Senate Budget Committee and a critical voice on foreign policy.
– Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.): Cotton is a bridge, of sorts, from the GOP leadership to Trump. He won’t accept a job in the administration, so he’ll be on the Hill for the foreseeable future.
– Sen. Eric Schmitt (R-Mo.): Schmitt has been mentioned by some as a candidate to be attorney general. He helped lead Trump’s debate prep over the summer and was a frequent presence on the campaign trail. He’s come a long way from the “Eric” endorsement.
– Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.): Mullin has been with Trump since the beginning and campaigned everywhere for him.
– Sen. Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.): Last term, Trump selected Hagerty to be his ambassador to Japan. He’s now in the mix to head up Treasury or State.
– Sen. Steve Daines (R-Mont.): Daines was the NRSC chair this cycle and successfully navigated the Trump-Senate GOP divide to win control of the chamber in spectacular fashion.
– Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.): No longer “Little Marco,” Rubio was on Trump’s VP shortlist and was his top TV surrogate in the closing days of the campaign. He’s also a trusted confidant on intel matters.
– Rep.-elect Brian Jack (R-Ga.): Jack is the only freshman we’re putting on this list. Why? Jack ran Trump’s political operation. He could end up as NRCC chair at some point. And of everyone in the House Republican Conference, Jack understands how this White House — and its staff — works.
