Eric Trump and Donald Trump Jr. have backed a $1 billion investment network targeting industries heavily promoted by President Donald Trump‘s administration, including artificial intelligence, drones and cryptocurrency, the Financial Times reported Thursday.
According to the report, two people familiar with the matter said the Trump sons invested in vehicles launched by American Ventures, an investment arm controlled by the Trump Tower-based financial group Dominari Holdings. SEC filings show the brothers collectively own roughly 12% of Dominari, which owns 90% of American Ventures.
The growing investment network has drawn scrutiny because many of the businesses operate in sectors expected to benefit from Trump administration policies, defense spending and industrial priorities.
American Ventures has reportedly raised more than $1 billion across 21 investment vehicles backing companies tied to AI, crypto, drones, nuclear energy and data centers. Over the past 10 months, American Ventures has reportedly channeled money from wealthy investors and family offices into small-cap stocks and private companies tied to sectors including AI, crypto, drones, nuclear energy and data centers.
AI, Drones And Crypto Expansion
The investment strategy closely mirrors White House priorities. Trump has promoted domestic drone manufacturing, AI infrastructure expansion and cryptocurrency adoption during his second term.
American Ventures previously backed XWELL, Inc. (NASDAQ:XWEL), an airport wellness company planning to deploy AI-powered infectious disease screening at U.S. airports ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
The Trump-linked investment ecosystem has also expanded into defense technology. Drone company Powerus, backed by Eric Trump and Donald Trump Jr., is pursuing a reverse merger with Aureus Greenway Holdings Inc. while targeting Pentagon-linked domestic drone manufacturing opportunities.
American Ventures was also linked to a Kazakhstan tungsten mining project expected to operate through newly listed Kaz Resources under the ticker “KAZR.”
Growing Scrutiny
The FT reported that several Dominari-backed transactions used reverse-merger structures, allowing private companies to enter public markets through listed shell companies instead of traditional IPOs.
The report also highlighted growing political scrutiny surrounding Trump-family-linked ventures. Sen. Elizabeth Warren previously criticized Trump-linked deals involving Pentagon-connected investments, while ethics experts raised concerns about defense and infrastructure businesses tied to the president’s family.
Donald Trump Jr.’s spokesperson told the FT he is a passive investor and does not interface with the federal government on behalf of companies he invests in.
Disclaimer: This content was produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.
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