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Military contractors with investments from President Donald Trump’s sons have raked in billions of dollars in government deals and contracts since June 2025, when their venture capital company first obtained a major stake in military technology company Anduril, new reporting finds.
Last year, 1789 Capital, of which Donald Trump Jr. is a partner, invested $2.5 billion into Anduril. According to an analysis of the government’s public contracts by ABC, since then, Anduril has been awarded 135 contracts from the U.S. government, with $1.8 billion of it having been paid out thus far.
In all, military contractors with backing from Donald Trump Jr. or Eric Trump have gotten $6 billion in “active or promised government contracts,” the analysis found.
The Pentagon and a spokesperson for the two brothers denied any impropriety. “No company receives preferential treatment. The War Department always looks for solutions to benefit the warfighter, not any pre-selected entity. Outside affiliations, investors, or political connections play absolutely no role in the Department’s funding decisions,” a Pentagon official said.
However, ABC uncovered several instances in which companies were granted Pentagon contracts for the first time after Donald Trump Jr. or Eric Trump joined their teams.
A drone manufacturer named Unusual Machines was granted a contract for 3,500 motors, and potentially 20,000 more, in 2025, months after Donald Trump Jr. was named an adviser for the company. And another drone company, Powerus, got its first Pentagon contract just one month after the two brothers were listed as “notable investors” for the company in March 2026.
A Pentagon spokesperson defended the contracts, saying that “defense procurement is merit-based” and that “neither Donald Trump Jr. nor Eric Trump is an advisor to Powerus, and neither is involved in the company’s day-to-day business.”
“Their interest is indirect, held through American Ventures, an investor in the company,” the spokesperson told the outlet.
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Previous reports have found instances of companies being granted large investments after receiving backing from 1789 Capital.
At an event in Maryland on Tuesday, Trump announced a new partnership with Anduril, billionaire Palmer Luckey’s autonomous military technology company, in its project to build a new shipyard called “Arsenal- 2.” The company will be providing a $3.7 billion investment into building the factory in Maryland, while the Navy will contribute $2.9 billion, he announced.
Bizarrely, Trump said that the public will be receiving “a 40 percent stake” in the shipyard, which he called “proof to our commitment to ensuring the shipyard’s enduring success.” It’s unclear what he meant by this, as the shipyard is being paid for by public money — and the $2.9 billion contributed by the Navy is actually more than 40 percent of the project’s $6.6 billion price tag.
At the event, Trump praised Luckey as a friend and a “brilliant guy.” Last week, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth announced that Luckey will help lead a new military task force called “Project Meridian,” which is tasked with shaping the future of warfare.
Democrats have previously launched efforts to probe potentially corrupt deals involving 1789 Capital’s investments. In August, Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Maryland), ranking member of the House Judiciary Committee, opened an investigation into the firm, pointing out that it grew from managing $150 million in investment capital to over $3 billion since Donald Trump Jr. was named a partner just days after his dad was elected president.
“Whether government decisions and contracts are being manipulated to ensure that your firm and the President’s family get a cut of the action or your firm and the President’s family are being given advance insider information about those forthcoming decisions and contracts (or more likely both), these practices constitute clear violations of laws banning governmental conflicts of interest, political insider trading, exploitation of public office for financial gain and fraud,” Raskin said.
In July, Trump openly bragged that his status as the president gives his children access to “inside information.”
“Almost anything they do, if they want to buy a truck, if they want to buy, you know, they buy an energy efficient truck, they have inside information,” he said.
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