Full Breakdown
ABC News Pulls Investigation Linking Trump Sons’ Investments to Pentagon Contracts
By Drooid · · How we work
Core Event: Removal of ABC News Report
Eric Trump and Donald Trump Jr. have secured more than $6 billion in Department of Defense contracts. Within 24 hours the story’s URL returned an error, and ABC removed the article without a public correction. It is only viewable via the Internet Archive. ABC declined comment.
Background & Context
The investigation focused on companies tied to the brothers through venture-capital firm 1789 Capital, which lists Donald Trump Jr. as a partner. Cited firms included:
- Anduril Industries – defense-tech firm that ABC said received a $2.5 billion investment round in June 2025 and has 135 government contracts worth about $1.8 billion.
- Unusual Machines – Florida drone-parts maker that won an Army motor contract in 2024 after Trump Jr. was named an adviser.
- Powerus – drone company listed as having the brothers as investors, which received an Air Force purchase order in early 2025.
- Vulcan Elements – rare-earth startup that obtained a $620 million Pentagon loan in 2024.
- Future Industries – robotics startup where Eric Trump serves as chief strategy adviser; it received a $24 million contract in April 2025.
The report framed these deals as “self-dealing” by the Trump family.
Data & Statistics
Official Statements & Responses
- A spokesperson for Donald Trump Jr. said many of the companies received contracts under both the Biden and Trump administrations.
- ABC News has not provided a public explanation for the removal and declined further comment.
Verbatim Quotes
- “’ Here’s a small lesson, that I also explained to ABC, the ‘reporter’ who is a complete idiot conflated raising funds with investment by 1789.” — Alexa Henning, spokesperson
- “ABC deleted this article in less than 24 hours because it’s false.” — Trump Jr., spokesperson
Conflicting Reports & Gaps
- Investment vs. stake: ABC described 1789 Capital’s involvement in Anduril as a “major stake” from a $2.5 billion round, while 1789’s spokesperson says the figure reflects total fundraising, not equity.
- Timing of contracts: Henning noted several firms obtained contracts under both administrations, challenging the implication of direct causality.
- Source verification: The investigation relied on SAM.gov data and internal ABC analysis, but the network has not released its methodology, leaving the $6 billion calculation unclear.
What’s Next
ABC has not indicated whether the story will be republished or corrected, leaving the public without clarification on the original claims or the reason for the rapid removal.