White House staff must get prior approval from the counsel’s office if they want to meet a lobbyist, News.ro reports, citing a memo from the chief of staff’s office first obtained by Politico. The memo comes from the office of Stephen Miller, the new chief of staff.

In the wording carried by News.ro, the memo says no president in history has fought more relentlessly, selflessly or courageously for the American people than President Trump, and that, following his example, staff are expected to dedicate their time unwaveringly to the working people of the nation. Politico and UPI publish that sentence in English.

The approval covers meetings on the White House complex with registered lobbyists about government policy. Politico writes that the Office of Public Liaison remains the main point of contact with outside parties. News.ro renders that office as “Biroul de Relații Publice”.

Politico, as quoted by News.ro, says the memo is unlikely to shock lobbyists on K Street, where Miller has few friends: he avoids relationship-based favours, is not easily swayed and is loyal to Donald Trump. Hunter Morgen, a lobbyist at Ballard Partners who worked with Miller in the first term, says he is not someone a lobbyist has to win over and that he acts on policy outcomes that advance the president’s agenda.

White House spokesman Taylor Rogers said, in News.ro’s account: “President Trump is loyal to the American people, not to the lobbyists.” He added that the White House departments continue to work together on the “America First” agenda.

The same account notes that business still has direct access to Trump: company-sponsored events, including a UFC card and the Easter Egg Roll, face-to-face meetings and phone calls. An executive at a trade association says a direct line to the president matters more after Miller’s appointment. Other lobbyists say they will keep working with staff on the Domestic Policy Council and the National Economic Council, rather than through Miller. UPI says the memo, first obtained by Politico, went out on Thursday night.

Image: Wikimedia Commons — the South Lawn of the White House, 1 May 2010 (Mark Skrobola, CC BY 2.0). The photo is not from the November 2026 memo.

Sources consulted: White House staff can no longer meet lobbyists without approval — News.ro; Miller’s lobbyist memo, first obtained by Politico; Memo: White House staff must get approval to meet lobbyists — UPI.