Brian Ballard and his powerful lobbying firm, Ballard Partners, are cashing in bigtime in the second Trump presidency. They’re inking deals with foreign governments, mega-corporations in the fossil fuels industry, and even the owner of multiple mainstream media publications.

The corporations, media companies, and universities running to Ballard for help all share one important trait: They are being targeted by the Trump administration as it seeks to upend American civil society and the formerly American-led global order.