Full Breakdown
Trump Sons' Firms Secure Over $6 Billion in Pentagon Contracts
By Drooid · · How we work
Investment Vehicles and Notable Deals
An ABC News analysis of federal contracting records shows that companies financially backed by Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump have obtained more than $6 billion in active or promised Department of Defense contracts. The venture-capital firm 1789 Capital, founded by pro-Trump donors in 2023 and joined by Trump Jr. as a partner in 2024, has placed stakes in several defense firms.
- Anduril Industries – 1789 Capital claimed a $2.5 billion stake in June 2025; the company has since been awarded 135 contracts worth roughly $1.8 billion and received a multibillion-dollar funding announcement from President Donald Trump.
- Powerus – listed the Trump brothers as “notable investors”; it secured its first Air Force purchase order a month after the investment and later received a contract up to $90 million.
- Hadrian – after a $391 million investment, the firm won a $39.2 million Army agreement and a $900 million Navy deal.
- Vulcan Elements – received a $620 million Pentagon loan.
- Future Industries – with Eric Trump as chief strategy adviser, was awarded a $24 million contract in April.
These contracts were awarded to firms that had not previously held Pentagon business before receiving the Trump brothers’ investments.
Official Responses from the Trump Brothers
A spokesperson for Donald Trump Jr.
Criticism and Opposition
Several commentators have framed the contracts as evidence of corruption. Phillips O’Brien, professor of strategic studies at the University of St. Former Republican pollster Sarah Longwell called the deals “insanely, unprecedentedly corrupt.”
Verbatim Quotes
- “Corruption of this kind is why the Democrats need to freeze or cut back US defense spending if they take control of Congress," O’Brien wrote in a social media post.” — Phillips O’Brien, professor of strategic studies at the University of St