Eric Trump and Donald Trump Jr. have taken equity stakes in a Florida-based drone manufacturer that is now actively seeking defence contracts with Gulf states currently under attack from Iran, countries that are also dependent on the US military, led by their father, President Donald Trump. Richard Painter, who served as chief White House ethics lawyer under President George W. Bush, said the arrangement raises some of the most serious conflict-of-interest concerns seen in modern American presidential history.
The company, Powerus, announced a deal last month to bring the two brothers on board as investors. Founded roughly a year ago by US Army Special Operations veterans, the firm builds drones for commercial applications — including agricultural spraying and wildfire suppression — but has since moved aggressively into military supply. It recently raised $60 million (approximately £47 million) from investors and is pursuing a 'reverse merger' with a Trump-linked company listed on the Nasdaq stock exchange to expedite going public.
'Enormous Pressure' to Buy
Painter was unambiguous in his assessment. 'These countries are under enormous pressure to buy from the sons of the president so he will do what they want,' he said. He went further, stating it would make the Trumps 'the first family of a president to make a lot of money off war — a war he didn't get the consent of Congress for.'
Powerus co-founder Brett Velicovich, a former Army veteran, told reporters that the company is conducting demonstrations of its drone interceptor technology across several Gulf countries. 'Our team is doing many demos across the Middle East right now for our interceptors,' Velicovich said. 'We have very incredible tech that can save lives.' He declined to name specific countries or provide further operational details.
Pentagon Money and a Growing Empire
Beyond the Gulf sales push, Powerus has set its sights on a significant slice of US government funding. The company is targeting $1.1 billion (approximately £860 million) set aside by the Pentagon to build up a US manufacturing base for armed drones — a gap that opened after the Trump administration banned drone imports from China.
Eric Trump and Donald Trump Jr. have steadily expanded their commercial footprint since their father returned to the White House. The companies they have invested in or been named advisers for, with equity stakes, range from cryptocurrency ventures to prediction markets to federal contractors making rocket parts and rare earth magnets. The Trump Organisation, where both sons hold executive roles, did not respond to a request for comment on Powerus specifically, though it has previously dismissed conflict-of-interest allegations.
When asked directly about the arrangement last month, Eric Trump issued a statement: 'I am incredibly proud to invest in companies I believe in. Drones are clearly the wave of the future.'
Velicovich, for his part, framed the venture in national security terms rather than commercial ones. 'We are at war, my friend, we are in an arms race and America will lose if we don't build fast,' he said. He added that anyone investing in American manufacturing at this moment 'transcends politics.'
Trump’s kids buy into drone companies
— Melanie D'Arrigo (@DarrigoMelanie) April 4, 2026
Trump cancels existing drone contracts
Trump’s kids’ companies get military contracts
Trump starts wars
Trump’s kids’ try to sell their drones to the countries being attacked because of Trump’s wars
👉🏻 This is what corruption looks like. pic.twitter.com/QtBw2PZC8Z
UAE Weapons Deal Under Discussion
Bloomberg separately reported that Powerus has met with officials in Abu Dhabi to discuss selling weapons to the United Arab Emirates as the country looks to shore up its defence systems against Iranian attacks. That reporting adds further specificity to the scale of Powerus's Gulf ambitions.
President Trump initiated strikes alongside Israel against Iran over a month ago — a military action that created the direct threat environment Powerus is now marketing solutions for. The sons have previously acknowledged that they held back commercially during Trump's first term; both have since indicated they do not intend to do so in this one.
