On October 24, 2025, news broke that Unusual Machines, a Florida-based drone manufacturer with direct financial ties to Donald Trump Jr., secured its largest-ever contract to supply parts to the Pentagon. The deal, which will see the company provide 3,500 drone motors and other components to the U.S. Army, marks a striking intersection of business, politics, and family interests at the highest levels of American government.
The contract, whose value was not disclosed, was confirmed by Unusual Machines CEO Allan Evans. According to Financial Times and The New York Times, Evans described it as "the largest order the company had ever received from the U.S. government." The Army has indicated plans to purchase an additional 20,000 parts in 2026, signaling a potentially transformative boost for the relatively new defense startup.
Donald Trump Jr. joined Unusual Machines as an advisor in November 2024, shortly after his father resumed his role as commander in chief. At that time, Trump Jr. disclosed ownership of approximately 331,580 shares in the company, valued at around $4 million. Evans confirmed that Trump Jr. continued to participate in fundraising rounds through 2025, and the first son’s public endorsement provided a significant lift, allowing the company to raise over $80 million from investors this year. "Him joining the advisory board was like Oprah joining Weight Watchers," Evans remarked to The New York Times, highlighting the surge of attention and credibility Trump Jr. brought to the company.
However, the arrangement has not been without controversy. The Trump family’s financial ties to companies benefiting from federal contracts have drawn scrutiny, with ethics experts and political observers raising questions about conflicts of interest. According to the Center for American Progress, the president’s family has accumulated more than $1.8 billion in cash and gifts since Trump’s return to the White House, including over $1.2 billion from cryptocurrency ventures.
Despite the swirl of speculation, both Unusual Machines and Trump Jr.’s representatives have denied any impropriety. Evans insisted that Trump Jr. "did not advise or do anything else on this deal," while a spokesperson for Trump Jr. told Financial Times: "Don has never communicated with anyone in the administration on behalf of Unusual Machines or about the contract in question. His advisory role with them has nothing to do with interfacing with the government." Andy Surabian, another spokesman, added, "Don is a lifelong businessman and does not interface with the federal government as part of his role with Unusual Machines or any of the other companies he advises or invests in."
The Army’s interest in Unusual Machines’ products comes amid a broader push to modernize U.S. military capabilities. In June 2025, President Trump signed an executive order to "unleash American drone dominance," aiming to accelerate the safe commercialization of drone technologies and fully integrate unmanned aircraft systems into the national airspace. The Pentagon quickly followed by removing restrictions to speed up drone procurement, empowering commanders to procure and test new tech directly. Army Secretary Daniel Driscoll, a former venture capitalist, has championed this shift, stating, "Across the Army, we will equip soldiers with these kinds of expendable drones that deliver devastating effects at a massive discount. We are leading the entire United States government to tackle this challenge."
The significance of the contract was underscored by Chief Warrant Officer 4 John Brown of the 101st Airborne Division, who told Financial Times, "The ability to train like we fight, using drones that are reliable, gives our soldiers the confidence they need for real-world scenarios." The Army’s 101st Airborne Division announced the purchase of 3,500 drone engines from Unusual Machines as its first major direct order from the Pentagon. The company only began manufacturing its own drone motors in the United States in recent weeks, an unusually rapid turnaround for a Pentagon contractor.
The deal is part of a larger trend in American defense procurement, with the Department of Defense moving to favor domestically produced drones over Chinese-made counterparts, citing national security risks. Industry analysts project that overall spending on commercial drone systems in North America could soar to $21 billion within five years, up from $11 billion last year.
Unusual Machines has not limited its ambitions to this contract alone. The company recently signed a $12.8 million agreement with Strategic Logix and a $1.6 million deal with another U.S.-based drone manufacturer. It also supplies parts to Red Cat, a Puerto Rico-based firm proposing a fleet of autonomous ocean vessels equipped with armed drones and missiles. These ventures, while ambitious, remain unproven, and Unusual Machines has faced questions about its ability to deliver. Until recently, the company imported most parts from China before shifting to domestic manufacturing, and it reported a $3.3 million operating loss in the first quarter of 2025 due to higher costs from tariffs and supply chain adjustments.
Notably, Unusual Machines’ close relationship with Dominari Securities, an investment bank headquartered in Trump Tower, has further fueled debate. Both Donald Trump Jr. and his brother Eric serve as paid advisors to Dominari, which was instrumental in Unusual Machines’ initial public offering and subsequent fundraising rounds. As of this spring, the Trump brothers reportedly owned more than three million shares in Dominari, now valued at over $17 million.
Some observers have pointed out that presidential children’s business activities have caused complications before—George W. Bush and Neil Bush’s oil ventures during their father’s vice presidency, Hunter Biden’s consulting work, and Franklin D. Roosevelt’s son’s insurance dealings. Yet, as tax lawyer Megan Gorman told The New York Times, "Serving as a paid adviser to a military contractor is a new twist in modern times. Don Jr. has pushed the envelope on how presidential children can behave. But there are no explicit rules of what they can do, although maybe there should be."
For now, Unusual Machines is riding a wave of political support and market momentum. Shares rose by as much as 13% following the contract announcement, and the company’s products have received Pentagon certification for use in military drones. Still, questions linger about the long-term viability of the business, the ethics of presidential family involvement, and the broader implications for American defense policy.
As the U.S. military continues to invest in next-generation drone technology, the entwined fortunes of Unusual Machines and the Trump family will remain under close scrutiny—testing the boundaries of business, politics, and public trust in an era of rapidly evolving warfare.
