“One way to get yourself in the doghouse is for the president to think you’re trading on his name,” said another close Trump ally, who said Ballard “overstates his importance and value.” “The president understands that lobbyists make money — he gets that. But I mean, to go out there and brag and hold yourself out?”The White House declined to comment. In a statement, Ballard said he and his firm “are accustomed to false accusations from unnamed sources due to the success our firm has enjoyed.” He told POLITICO he has never touted his relationships with people in the West Wing to try to win clients, and he disputed the notion that he has been frozen out as well.There is some evidence that he is not completely cut off. POLITICO has viewed invitations sent to Ballard for Trump fundraisers and records of a scheduled call with a senior Trump administration official since the March incident. And Ballard clients have secured face time with senior people in the administration, including earlier this week when the president met with executives from the NFL, which Ballard represents.“[D]espite the efforts of these unnamed sources, Ballard Partners will continue to deliver results and effective advocacy for our clients as we have done for more than 25 years,” he said.As for the Truth Social incident, a Ballard associate said there was never an effort to mislead the president about the missive.But the situation appears to have caused Ballard some business heartburn. Some Ballard clients have reached out to other Trump allies to try to get meetings with the president or his inner circle, according to two of the people.Others close to the inner circle were more blunt.“Ballard is making himself out to be this all-powerful Trump lobbyist with unfettered access to the administration, but that’s simply not true,” said one of the four people.Avalanche of new businessSince Trump won in November, Ballard has seen a deluge in new business, especially as Trump has brought to bear the full