What was intended as a political hit job by Business Insider has now morphed into a corporate disaster for its German parent company, Axel Springer SE. The backlash over a recently published piece comparing Donald Trump Jr. to Hunter Biden—a comparison widely condemned as unfounded and politically motivated—has now cost Axel Springer a $500,000 lobbyist contract with one of the most influential firms in Washington, D.C.
Ballard Partners, the firm led by Trump ally Brian Ballard, officially dropped Axel Springer as a client on Tuesday evening. Sources close to the firm confirmed to Breitbart News that the Business Insider article was the final straw. “The Business Insider piece on Don seemed to be such a gratuitous attack there was no way the firm can continue in good faith to represent Axel Springer,” a source stated.
Scoop: @BallardFirm has dropped its lobbying contract with Axel Springer, which publishes @POLITICO and @BusinessInsider.
Axel Springer’s $500K deal with Ballard Partners involved helping the company ‘engage with the executive branch.’
Sources within the firm say after… pic.twitter.com/A4ODzRUJPn
— Peter Schorsch (@PeterSchorschFL) May 14, 2025
Ballard’s decision puts a spotlight on just how serious the reputational damage has become. The firm has had a fluctuating relationship with Trump’s political orbit, but this episode appears to have forced its hand—either out of principle or necessity, depending on who you ask. One source familiar with the administration suggested this was damage control, not a moral stand: “The first 3,000 Business Insider and Politico hit pieces on the Trump family weren’t enough?”
The issue doesn’t stop at Business Insider. Politico, Axel Springer’s other high-profile U.S. media holding, is now reportedly experiencing internal turmoil under its new editorial leadership. According to Breaker’s Lachlan Cartwright, Axel Springer CEO Mathias Döpfner and deputy Jan Bayer are closely monitoring the Politico newsroom from Berlin, concerned over a wave of staff departures and mounting dissatisfaction.
The difference between me and Hunter Biden?
I’ve been a businessman and serial investor my entire adult life. He became a “businessman” after his dad got elected.
I joined a Venture Capital Firm that invests in private American companies – Nothing to do with the government. He… https://t.co/svUFJ1ju75
— Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) May 13, 2025
Cartwright reported that more than 40 employees have exited the Arlington newsroom, attributing the exodus in part to Alex Burns, the newly installed senior executive editor. The situation is reportedly dire enough that Axel Springer’s top executives have personally intervened, questioning U.S. leadership amid fears of deteriorating editorial cohesion and credibility.
At the heart of this debacle is Business Insider’s attempt to draw parallels between Trump Jr.’s legitimate business ventures and the criminal investigations surrounding Hunter Biden, who has faced multiple felony charges related to taxes, firearms, and foreign influence schemes. The report, viewed by many on the right as an obvious attempt to manufacture a scandal, quickly drew ire from conservative lawmakers, media analysts, and Trump Jr. himself.
The Dem-Media is pathetic. They’ve spent the last decade smearing me and my family with bullshit lies at every turn, while doing everything in their power to defend and spin for Dems like Hunter Biden. And then these same “reporters” wonder why they’re so hated by normal people! https://t.co/ILqZnATy62
— Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) May 14, 2025
The fallout has been swift. What began as a politically calculated article now appears to be a costly strategic blunder, one that has not only ruptured key lobbying relationships but also invited broader scrutiny into Axel Springer’s U.S. media operations.
