Trump-Sons Profit From Daddy's Presidency

Normally this is seen as an illegal CONFLICT OF INTEREST which could trigger IMPEACHMENT PROCEEDNGS but because Americans are so selfish, greedy and corrupt these days, anything goes: Dating back to the first Trump administration, members of the Trump family have faced criticism for mixing business with politics. But what sets apart the latest moves by Donald Trump Jr. is how he and Mr. Malik, through 1789 Capital, are cashing in on the policies of the current administration openly and without apology. Many of the companies 1789 has invested in have large government contracts while others, like Polymarket, have benefited directly from new Trump policies or rollbacks of existing laws. The firm bought shares in some of the most coveted private companies before many went public, including SpaceX, Anduril, Cerebras and Reflection AI, often by leveraging their political and business connections to secure a stake or to help boost the companies’ sales. Just two years ago, 1789 managed a few hundred million dollars. It now oversees more than $3 billion. Its main investment fund generated returns of roughly 200 percent as of June 30, according to a person familiar with the firm’s performance. While still early in its investment cycle, those returns eclipse the average returns of about 21 percent from venture capital firms started in 2023, according to PitchBook, a provider of financial data. Angela Lee, a venture capital professor at Columbia Business School, said she’s never seen a firm started by first-time fund managers raise so much money. “Any way you cut it, it’s unprecedented,” she said. One plausible explanation for the firm’s rapid success, she said: “People are paying for proximity to power.” Mr. Trump and Mr. Malik, a former Democrat and banker, openly embrace their connections to President Trump’s broader circle of donors, influential supporters and high-ranking officials, but they scoff at questions of whether any of their success comes from direct access to the president. As a private citizen, the president’s son said, he is free to invest however he wants and is doing nothing illegal. He said he talks to his father only “every few weeks,” never discusses business with him, and holds “no policy position and no role within the administration whatsoever.” Mr. Malik frequently mentions that he’s never even “set foot in the White House.” In interviews, executives at companies 1789 is invested in said they have never seen the firm seek special treatment from the administration, but said they view being involved with 1789 as a way to get close to the Trump orbit. https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/22/business/donald-trump-jr-1789-capital.html?unlocked_article_code=1.zlA.nolM.pTK3eoiwBqna&smid=url-share