In a significant business development, Aureus Greenway Holdings, a golf club company backed by Eric Trump and Donald Trump Jr, has announced a merger with drone manufacturer Powerus. The deal is specifically structured to take the drone technology firm public, marking the latest expansion of the Trump brothers' investments into the defense and technology sectors.
Strategic Expansion into Defense Technology
This merger follows closely on the heels of a $1.5 billion tie-up last month between Israeli drone maker XTEND and Florida-based JFB Construction Holdings, indicating a clear strategic focus by the Trump sons. Drones have emerged as a critical procurement priority for the Pentagon, especially given their extensive use in conflict zones like Ukraine, where conventional aircraft face limitations due to dense air defense systems.
The growing military reliance on unmanned aerial vehicles has also attracted substantial Silicon Valley funding, significantly boosting valuations of American companies such as Anduril Industries and Shield AI. This trend underscores the lucrative potential of the drone market, which the Trump family is now actively capitalizing on through their business ventures.
Details of the Powerus Merger
Powerus, founded in 2025 by Andrew Fox, specializes in manufacturing heavy-lift drones capable of carrying industrial payloads up to 675 kilograms. Additionally, the company offers services to convert existing manned boats into remotely operated or fully autonomous vessels. Following the merger, Fox is expected to assume the roles of chief executive officer and chairman of the combined entity, as detailed in an SEC filing by Aureus.
To facilitate the planned merger, Aureus has engaged Dominari Securities to assist in raising approximately $9 million in financing. Notably, both Trump brothers are shareholders in Dominari, each holding roughly a 6 percent stake. The merger agreement includes a provision allowing either company to terminate the deal if it does not close by the end of 2026.
Ethical Concerns and Broader Business Moves
This merger represents the latest in a series of business activities undertaken by the Trump family while Donald Trump serves his second term in the White House. Ethics experts have repeatedly voiced concerns over the family's intensified business dealings during this period, which have expanded beyond traditional assets like hotels and golf courses into diverse industries including cryptocurrency, energy, and financial services.
Typically, U.S. presidents place their financial interests into a blind trust managed by an independent third party to avoid conflicts of interest. However, Trump has opted to grant his adult sons control over his businesses, a move that ethics authorities argue provides insufficient protection against potential ethical breaches.
Recent Trump Family Business Ventures
The drone merger is part of a broader pattern of high-profile business moves by the Trump family. Late last year, Trump Media & Technology Group, the parent company of Trump's Truth Social platform, announced a $6 billion merger with a fusion energy technology company, committing $300 million in cash to advance the development of this emerging technology.
In February, a Wall Street Journal report revealed that a member of the Emirati royal family invested $500 million into the Trump family's cryptocurrency company. Shortly thereafter, Trump announced that the United Arab Emirates would lift export controls and grant the country access to 500,000 of Nvidia's powerful AI chips, raising further questions about the intersection of business and political decisions.
As the Trump sons continue to diversify their investment portfolio, the merger with Powerus highlights their strategic pivot towards defense technology, a sector with significant growth potential but also heightened ethical scrutiny given the family's political connections.
