Turkey recruits Trump insiders for new Washington lobbying push

Turkey recruits Trump insiders for new Washington lobbying push Submitted by Ragip Soylu on Wed, 08/26/2026 - 13:05 The Turkish defence ministry signed a $2. 4m contract with Ballard Partners as Ankara seeks to rejoin the F-35 programme Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and US President Donald Trump during the Nato Summit in Ankara, Turkey, 8 July 2026 (Ludovic Marin/AFP) Off The Turkish government hired a lobbying firm with close ties to US President Donald Trump earlier this month under a year-long contract worth $2. 4m, according to US Justice Department filings reviewed by Middle East Eye.