Eric Trump, Lara Trump, Donald Trump Jr. and Bettina Anderson stand together, at Shannon Airport in Ireland, September 13, 2026. REUTERS/Kylie Cooper
Critics were apoplectic about President Donald Trump's family Wednesday after an ABC News analysis found that defense companies backed by his sons have landed more than $6 billion in active or promised government contracts since the brothers invested.
The analysis landed a day after Trump announced a $6.6 billion deal with Anduril Industries for a submarine parts plant in Baltimore County, with the Navy covering $2.9 billion. 1789 Capital, a venture firm that lists Donald Trump Jr. as a partner, took a major stake in Anduril last year. ABC also flagged drone makers and other firms that won their first federal contracts after the brothers got involved, including Unusual Machines, which won its largest-ever Pentagon deal last year after Trump Jr. joined as an adviser.
"The American people were fleeced. Accountability is coming," wrote California Gov. Gavin Newsom, widely seen as a 2028 presidential contender.
"$6 BILLION. Of taxpayer money," posted the progressive outlet The Tennessee Holler.
Several critics pointed to the GOP's long pursuit of Hunter Biden. Former Kentucky Senate candidate Amy McGrath put the numbers side by side.
"Remember how the right lost its mind over Hunter Biden making roughly $3 million from Burisma? For some perspective on scale: $3 million is to $6 billion what $500 is to $1 million," she emphasized.
"This is the definition of corruption," wrote commentator Ed Krassenstein.
House Democrats railed that Trump and his sons "have raked in BILLIONS while Americans struggle to make ends meet."
Military historian Phillips O'Brien argued that the findings should change Democrats' approach to the defense budget.
"Corruption of this kind is why the Democrats need to freeze or cut back US defense spending if they take control of Congress," he wrote.
Michael Weiss, author of the bestselling book, "ISIS: Inside the Army of Terror," added simply, "A racket across the board."
The scrutiny comes as Trump Jr. is already facing calls for a Senate subpoena over reports that a Putin-linked Russian businessman helped pay for his wedding celebration, which prompted the Wall Street Journal's conservative editorial board to warn the family to "better lawyer up."
A Pentagon official told ABC News that "outside affiliations, investors, or political connections play absolutely no role" in funding decisions. A spokesperson for the Trump brothers called efforts to portray their investments as improper "a deliberate distortion of the facts."