John McEntee, the former Trump White House aide once known as the president’s “body man,” has registered as a federal lobbyist for the first time, according to recently filed disclosures. McEntee’s debut on K Street comes with a high-profile client: Tencent, the Chinese tech giant behind WeChat, which is fighting to remove itself from a Pentagon blacklist.
Tencent’s Lobbying Blitz
Tencent’s U.S. arm hired John McEntee in July to assist with what the company calls an “erroneous trade restriction designation.” In January, the Pentagon placed Tencent on a list of companies it views as linked to China’s military. The designation—one of the Biden administration’s last actions in 2024—threatened to complicate Tencent’s American business interests.
The company has long disputed the charge, calling its inclusion a mistake. But the scrutiny isn’t new: during Trump’s first term, the administration moved to ban WeChat outright, citing national security concerns.
To respond, Tencent has rapidly built a roster of Republican lobbyists. Since the spring, it has signed six-figure contracts with figures like Bryan Lanza, a former Trump adviser; former Senator David Vitter; and lobbyists Marty Obst and Rob Goad, both veterans of the Trump orbit. It also retains heavyweight firms such as Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck, where GOP fundraiser Marc Lampkin represents the company. McEntee’s arrival adds another well-connected Republican voice to the lineup.
From the West Wing to K Street
McEntee’s trajectory reflects a familiar path in Washington: from campaign aide to West Wing staffer to corporate counselor. He joined Trump’s 2016 campaign early, later serving as the president’s personal aide before rising to head the Office of Presidential Personnel, where he oversaw thousands of political appointments.
That experience offered him a close-up view of how federal agencies interact and how decisions move through government channels—skills Tencent now hopes to leverage as it works to convince regulators that its blacklisting was a mistake.
A Test for McEntee
For McEntee, the engagement with Tencent marks both an opening test of his lobbying career and a high-profile challenge. It places him alongside an increasingly crowded team of Republican lobbyists who have been brought in to shape the company’s case in Washington. Whether McEntee becomes a long-term player on K Street remains to be seen.
As McEntee steps into this new phase, his trajectory reflects both continuity and change: continuity in his role as a trusted advisor, and change in the arena where his counsel is now applied. From the West Wing to boardrooms and regulatory battles, John McEntee exemplifies how the skills honed in public service, managing political appointments and navigating inter-agency dynamics, are now being applied in the private sector, where global firms often look for advisors who can translate government experience into strategy.
Tencent’s lobbying push underscores how global technology companies attempt to navigate Washington when national security and trade policy collide. For McEntee, it signals the start of a new phase in his career—one that shifts him from the inner circles of the Trump White House to the strategic and influential arena of corporate advocacy.
