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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsSnopes - DOD gave $620M loan to startup backed by Donald Trump Jr.'s venture capital firm
A startup company backed by Donald Trump Jr.s investment firm received a $620 million loan from the U.S. Department of Defense.
Rating: True
Rumors circulated online in December 2025 that a startup company backed by Donald Trump Jr.'s venture capital firm was granted a $620 million loan from the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD).
Users on social media platforms like X (archived) and Facebook (archive) spread the purported news. Some users suggested the Trump administration was "the most corrupt administration in the history of America" due to the apparent conflict of interest of such a deal.
Link to tweet
The claim that a company backed by Trump Jr.'s investment firm, 1789 Capital, secured a $620 million loan from the DOD was true.
https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/donald-trump-jr-dod-loan/
lame54
(39,212 posts)AZJonnie
(2,831 posts)Sounds like Snopes is confirming there's a loan of $620M, but I wonder what the value and nature of "the contract" is i.e. what are they obliged to provide back to the taxpayers for the $620M loan? Is it just money they need to pay back, or do they have to like "provide 1M magnets to the DOD" type of thing?
Also, what happens if they take some % of the loan money (I can't imagine it's a $620M lump sum in advance, I have to think that's too corrupt even for Trump's Department of War), provide jack shit, and then declare bankruptcy, like countless "start-up" companies have done over the years, I wonder?
popsdenver
(1,562 posts)is not designed to succeed, Just take the money as salaries and run on to the next grift.......scott free.......
Look at what Ivanka and Jared made away with during "their" distribution of PPE during Covid, and also Jared's treasonous gifts of U.S. Intel, along with all other countries Intel shared with us.... to the Saudi's for 2.2 BILLION DOLLARS.....
And all money Trump grifted from 2016 to 2024, is a drop in the bucket, compared to the un-fathomable fortune that Trump and Spawn have made grifting since Nov 6th.............
TheBlackAdder
(29,981 posts)Now, its vaporware firms of friends and family.
muriel_volestrangler
(105,567 posts)According to Trump Jr., he plays a big role in where the fund spends its money: In February, he told the FT that he was very involved in the strategic decisions regarding where to invest our resources at 1789.
And just a few months ago, it was reported that the Pentagon awarded a contract to an obscure drone companywhere Trump Jr. happened to be an adviser, with a multimillion-dollar stake, since November 2024.
https://newrepublic.com/post/203954/trump-jr-backed-company-pentagon-contract
Kaching! But Hunter Biden had a dick pic on his laptop ...
malaise
(292,817 posts)K & R for visibility
Zackzzzz
(263 posts)With the corporate, welfare, who's left to pay for this venture.
Javaman
(65,115 posts)this is just crazy. I just don't know what to think anymore. please pass the victory gin!
do I really need to put the sarcasm thing?
radical noodle
(10,482 posts)although maybe magnets cause cancer like windmills do.
Wiz Imp
(8,994 posts)Magnets, how do they work? Trump can't tell you.
That is, of course, not how magnets work. They work just fine underwater.
It's unclear where Trump might have got the idea that magnets don't work underwater, but it is a common myth that results in numerous debunking articles after a simple Google search.
radical noodle
(10,482 posts)I guess trying to tune him out has paid off in some weird way.
popsdenver
(1,562 posts)that magnets are not a matter of science, but, in truth, are "MAGIC"
KS Toronado
(23,060 posts)I believe it because our current President is the smartest guy in the world, smarter than Albert Einstein.
twodogsbarking
(17,581 posts)eppur_se_muova
(40,989 posts)1789 Capital describes itself as promoting "patriotic capitalism", investing in companies that are "anti-woke" and "America First".[21][28][29][15] Malik has stated that the firm is only interested in companies that represent "entrepreneurship, innovation and growth", or "EIG", which he says means companies that have "no ESG or DEI components in them whatsoever."[14] The company's other focuses include "deglobalization" (referring to companies that are moving their production to the US and pulling away from production in other countries),[c] and the creation of a "parellel economy" of conservative businesses, in what Malik has characterized as an effort to "depoliticize" investment.[21][30][31][32][5] Malik has also said that the firm "represent[s] the silent majority."[11][d]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1789_Capital#Mission_and_investments
FakeNoose
(40,191 posts)Junior has been kind of quiet these days. That's never a good sign....
