Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump are linked to more than a dozen defense companies that have collected billions in federal contracts — and no law stops them from doing it.
Story Snapshot
- Investment funds tied to Trump Jr. and Eric Trump are linked to defense-tech firms that received at least $3.2 billion in Pentagon awards and $3.1 billion in potential future work.
- Trump Jr. holds a $4 million stake and a board seat at Unusual Machines, a drone parts company that landed at least $15.2 million in U.S. Army contracts.
- Neither brother holds an official government role, so federal conflict-of-interest rules that apply to employees do not cover them.
- The White House denies any wrongdoing, and companies say they won contracts on merit — but no independent audit has been done to verify those claims.
What the Investments Look Like
A Washington Post analysis found that funds linked to Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump invested in more than a dozen defense-tech and artificial intelligence firms. Those companies logged at least $3.2 billion in direct government awards and another $3.1 billion in potential future work, mostly from the Pentagon. Trump Jr. also holds a $4 million stake and sits on the board of Unusual Machines, a drone parts startup that received at least $15.2 million in U.S. Army contracts.
Eric Trump invested in a $1.5 billion merger involving Israeli drone maker Xtend, which holds a Department of Defense contract. Both brothers also invested in Powerus, a Florida drone startup founded in 2025. The deal was structured as a reverse merger with Aureus Greenway Holdings, a golf company the brothers partly own. Powerus is chasing Pentagon demand that grew after the administration banned Chinese drones from federal use.
The Conflict-of-Interest Question
Senators Elizabeth Warren and Richard Blumenthal sent a letter to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth asking whether the Pentagon has any process to prevent conflicts of interest involving the president’s family. Their concern: the Trump sons invest in defense companies, the administration boosts defense spending, and those same companies win big contracts. In January 2026, three senators flagged over $70 million in contracts awarded to companies in the 1789 Capital portfolio after Trump Jr. joined the firm. The administration did not respond to that letter.
The brothers operate mainly through 1789 Capital, a private fund that manages $3.5 billion and is not required to publicly disclose its holdings. That lack of transparency makes it hard to know the full scope of their defense investments. Critics say this structure creates a blind spot that no current law forces them to fix. Neither Trump Jr. nor Eric Trump holds an official government role, which means federal conflict-of-interest statutes that apply to administration employees simply do not reach them.
What the Other Side Says
The White House pushed back hard. Spokesperson Anna Kelly said flatly, “There are no conflicts of interest.” Companies tied to the Trump sons said they won their contracts on merit, with no help from the family’s political connections. It is also worth noting that when SpaceX and Anduril — companies tied to Elon Musk and Palmer Luckey, not the Trump brothers — are removed from the total, the remaining 13 smaller startups account for about $1.8 billion, a smaller share of the headline figure.
Trump’s sons invest heavily in defense tech as their father’s administration pours money in, a Washington Post analysis finds
Most investments by funds linked to Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump have taken place since their father’s 2024 election. https://t.co/qlkc0Bi8jc
— Jonathan Htet (@jonathan_htet) July 13, 2026
No independent forensic audit has examined whether investment dates line up with contract award dates. No internal Pentagon documents have been released. No whistleblower has gone on record. The denials from the White House and the companies are category-level — they do not directly address specific timing patterns that critics point to. Until an independent review happens, the public is left weighing competing claims with no definitive answer. Conservative voters who rightly demanded accountability from the Biden family’s business dealings should expect the same standard applied here. Transparency protects everyone, including the Trump administration itself.
Sources:
feedpress.me, responsiblestatecraft.org, warren.senate.gov, aljazeera.com, newser.com, pbs.org, facebook.com, thedailybeast.com
