While the upcoming Republican convention in Cleveland proves as a long anticipated political event, attendance amongst Republican lobbyists and corporations may decline in retrospect to previous attendance records. “Lobbyists typically act as the Republican Party elders at political conventions, ensuring that the program runs smoothly and coordinating many of the festivities surrounding the official events,” reports Wall Street Journal. However, hesitating companies have expressed some possibilities in opting out of this year’s GOP convention.
Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump is said to be responsible for some of these absences. According to Wall Street Journal, many lobbyists are driven by the attendance of their respective clients. However, a lot of those clients are practicing caution, as they are concerned with the ambiguity and uncertainty that tends to accompany Trump throughout his campaign. There’s no surprise that the relationship between a handful of lobbyists and Trump isn’t very solid. According to Hive, Trump has repeatedly bragged about his wealth and power, and has implied that he is, because of this immense wealth, impervious to lobbyist and corporate financial influences. With Trump focusing his own finances on his campaign, some lobbying circles may not be so thrilled to attend a convention that headlines Trump.
Statistics showcase that there is a decline in lobbying conventions funding as well. According to Wall Street Journal, Motorola, who had previously donated $621,000 to the GOP convention, has stated that this year they are instead focusing on “supporting their public safety customers in the cities where the conventions are taking place.” The Coca-Cola Co. has donated $75,000 to both conventions this year, in contrast to its generous payment of $666,200 towards the 2012 GOP convention. “Other companies have dramatically reduced their donations this year,” reported Wall Street Journal.
In respect to the situation, there have also been lobbyists that declare that there are just “burned out” from raising millions earlier this year for previous candidates such as former Florida Governor Jeb Bush and Florida Senator Marco Rubio. But while there is uncertainty when it comes to lobbyist attendance and participation, there is a strong theory that Trump’s “free of special interests and lobbyist influence” mind set will prove as a hindrance for his campaign trail. “Trump has a tough road ahead of him”, reported The Hill. “He’s going to have a hard time coalescing support that the business community has typically given to the nominee.”
