General Motors has hired on Washington lobbying firm Ballard Partners, which has a close relationship to the Trump White House, after President Trump criticized the automaker for cutting more than 14,000 salaried jobs in the United States late last year.
According to a prepared media release, Ballard Partners will consult with Washington on GM’s behalf on labor and fuel efficiency matters, among more.
GM’s relationship with the White House took a major hit following the job cuts, which Trump criticized heavily. The president expressed displeasure with the job cuts, which came just weeks before Christmas, and also criticized the automaker’s decision to invest more heavily into electric vehicles.
In a tweet sent out at the time, Trump also said he was “very disappointed with General Motors and their CEO, Mary Barra, for closing plants in Ohio, Michigan and Maryland,” and said he was “now looking at cutting all GM subsidies, including for electric cars.”
According to Politico, GM already has DS2 Group, EOP Group, Fritts Group, Hance Scarborough, Navigators Global, Polaris-Hutton Group, Roberti Global, S-3 Group, Washington Tax & Public Policy Group and Williams Group on its roster of GM lobbying firms.
Ballard Partners is run by Brian Ballard, who lead the Trump Victory organization in Florida during the 2016 presidential campaign. His four-person GM lobbying team will also consist of managing director Syl Lukis, Susan Wiles, who was the former campaign manager for Florida governor and now Senator Rick Scott, and former Trump transition team member Pam Bondi.
(source: Politico)
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