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Tesla has hired Trump-connected Continental Strategy for DC representation.
Elon Musk’s company shelled out $560K for federal lobbying during the first-half of this year on issues related to auto technology, AI, robotics, battery storage, EV charging infrastructure and autonomous vehicle policies.
Tesla made news on Oct. 7 by announcing plans to sell cheaper versions of its Model 3 and Model Y cars. They will sell for about $5K less than current models to help offset the loss of a $7,500 federal tax credit that was killed by Donald Trump and Republicans in Congress.
Continental founder Carlos Trujillo served in the first Trump administration as ambassador to the Organization of American States. He also was a Trump campaign surrogate in outreach to Latino voters during the 2024 presidential campaign.
Continental’s Tesla team includes partners Alex Garcia, who was deputy political director for the Trump campaign; Tim Costa, chief of staff for Republican Congressman Dan Meuser; and VP Paul Calkins, ex-lobbyist for the International Franchise Assn.
Ballard Partners has signed to a represent the US unit of Rheinmetall, Germany’s biggest defense contractor, on Army procurement issues.
BGR Group signs on to provide lobbying and PR services for Terzo, an AI financial intelligence platform. Douglas Lute, chair of BGR’s international and defense practices, will join Terzo’s board of directors.
Avoq has landed Palantir Technologies, the controversial surveillance company founded by right-wing billionaire Peter Thiel, as a client.
Anne Kierig, who was senior manager of public policy at Amazon, has joined the American Advertising Federation as VP-government affairs. She takes over for Clark Rector, who is retiring after a 37-year run at AAF.
TikTok USDS Joint Venture LLC, which was established in compliance with the executive order signed by President Trump, has hired Valcour LLC, which has close ties with his administration.
