The Open LedgerA citizen’s reference · checked October 15, 2026

P-49BrokenGovernment and ethics

Drain the swamp, with a five-year lobbying ban for officials who leave government.

What happened

He signed the five-year lobbying ban as an ethics pledge on Jan. 28, 2017, and it stayed in force through his term. He revoked it on Jan. 19, 2021, releasing former aides from it as of noon on Jan. 20, before most of them had served out the five years.

Sources

  1. AP via KSAT, Jan. 20, 2021ksat.comhttps://ksat.com/news/politics/2021/01/20/trump-frees-former-aides-from-ethics-pledge-lobbying-ban #43

Status checked October 15, 2026. Court cases move; before relying on a pending matter, open the source for later developments.