As artificial intelligence continues to race ahead, President Trump has made it clear he doesn’t intend to apply the brakes any time soon.
Trump has embraced a hands-off approach to AI regulation, resisting calls to reign in the rapidly developing technology and implement federal guardrails. But as the president pushes to accelerate an industry expected to reshape the global economy, another part of the story is unfolding much closer to home: the Trump family is building business interests — and profiting — off of AI.
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Trump’s pro-AI stance
The president has downplayed the need for his administration to put any restrictions on AI, even going so far as to call concerns around the technology a conspiracy.
“The only control or ‘guardrails’ that AI needs is a STRONG AND SMART (High IQ!) PRESIDENT, and the U.S.A has that, in spades,” Trump posted on Truth Social on Sept. 14. “There is a SICK conspiracy going on against AI and Data Centers.”
The comment came after Dario Amodei, the CEO of Anthropic, published an essay arguing AI companies should deliberately “slow the pace” of development. The guardrails Amodei spoke of were then endorsed by OpenAI CEO Sam Altman.
Trump has argued restricting the development of the technology would harm competition, claiming that the U.S. is currently beating China in the AI race and guardrails could jeopardize that lead. But the Trump family also has a personal stake in the industry through business ventures and stock investments.
Don Jr. and Eric stand to gain from AI
According to the Washington Post, the president’s sons Donald Trump Jr. and Eric are both investors in several AI and data center ventures.
Donald Trump Jr. is a partner at 1789 Capital, a venture capital firm that closed a $1.2 billion deal focused on real estate ventures, including digital infrastructure like data centers. In a statement shared with The Post, a 1789 spokesperson said Donald Trump Jr. was operating as a private citizen and not in a “government capacity.”
He and Eric have both joined the investment firm Dominari Holdings and helped launch American Data Centers, an AI infrastructure venture. The deal came just weeks after their father announced a $20 billion data center pledge from Emirati billionaire Hussain Sajwani, as well as $500 billion in planned private AI investment.
But the business interests of the two brothers extend well beyond data centers. Both Donald Trump Jr. and Eric have ties to the defence technology industry, most notably through the rare-earth magnet startup Vulcan Elements. According to the Guardian, 1789 Capital took a stake in the company — whose products are used in AI datacenters — three months after it was awarded a $620 million loan from the Pentagon.
According to The Post, Eric is also an investor in companies related to defence and robotics, including Space-Eyes, which uses AI to process data from satellites.
A Washington Post analysis in July also found 15 companies tied to the brothers’ investment funds. Those companies have generated at least $3.2 billion in federal business since they joined — but SpaceX and the AI-powered defence technology firm Anduril account for 97% of that figure.
Trump’s own investments
The president also has deep ties to AI. Since returning to the White House, Trump’s investment accounts have made nearly 30,000 securities transactions, with many involving companies that supply the chips, energy and infrastructure required to power AI systems. Government filings show Trump has purchased shares in Dell Technologies, Micron Technology and GE Vernova, all companies whose profits are tied to AI-related development and spending.
Trump Media & Technology Group, the parent company of Truth Social, has also moved further into the technology and energy sectors. The company merged with a nuclear-fusion venture that plans to develop power plants in response to rising electricity demand, including demand driven by AI.
Truth Social is also investing in AI-related products and has announced it will be licensing access to the social media platform’s posts to AI labs.
Trump made more than $2 billion on his investments in 2025, but has since denied claims that his role as president has anything to do with it, instead attributing the gains to the highs of the stock market.
“You know why I’m profiting, because the stock market’s going up,” Trump told reporters in July. “Everybody’s profiting.”
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This article originally appeared on Moneywise.com under the title: ‘SICK conspiracy’: Trump dismisses calls to rein in AI as his sons cash in on AI-linked defence and tech investments
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