Boss of Trump Jr-backed start-up donated to Republicans after winning US contract

The boss of a defence manufacturing start-up backed by Donald Trump Jr’s investment firm donated almost $450,000 to Republican causes just months after winning a $900mn contract from the US government.

Hadrian chief executive Chris Power gave the maximum individual donation allowed to a number of Republican National Committee entities in July, after Trump Jr’s firm increased its investment in the company as part of a $1.4bn funding round.

Other executives at Trump Jr’s firm, 1789 Capital — whose portfolio companies have won several government contracts — gave a combined $300,000 to the RNC in the same month.

1789 Capital told the FT “any statement or suggestion, directly or indirectly, that 1789 has a conflict-of-interest, or that it is somehow participating in or benefitting from any form of corruption, is provably false and defamatory”.

Hadrian is the latest 1789-linked company to prosper since Donald Trump won re-election as US president. At least four of 1789’s other portfolio companies have won contracts from Trump’s administration, while other groups backed by the president’s eldest son Donald Jr have received regulatory relief.

Last year, the FT reported that a little-known rare earths start-up, Vulcan Elements, secured a $620mn loan from the Pentagon, three months after 1789 invested in the company. Vulcan’s chief executive and officials at the Pentagon and commerce department said Trump Jr was not involved in the company’s deal with the government. Trump Jr told the FT he had no involvement in negotiations with the government on behalf of 1789’s portfolio companies.

Rocket propulsion start-up Firehawk Aerospace, backed by 1789, received more than $10mn worth of contracts from the US Air Force, while AI group Cerebras Systems, another 1789-backed company, signed a $45mn deal with the Pentagon. Quantum computing company PsiQuantum — a 1789 investment — also won more than $10mn in air force contracts last year, and this year secured a $100mn equity stake from the Trump administration.

Last October, the FT revealed drone maker Unusual Machines, in which Trump Jr held a multimillion-dollar stake, won its biggest contract from the Pentagon. Unusual Machines said Trump Jr was not involved in the deal. Representatives for the president’s son have repeatedly said he is not involved in any contract negotiations with the US government.

Hadrian, which markets itself as a “next-generation manufacturing company”, builds automated defence and aerospace factories that are powered by AI and robotics. It has been praised by Republican senators and defence secretary Pete Hegseth for helping to revive the US industrial base.

In March, it received a $900mn contract from the US Navy to mass-produce components for American submarines at a new factory in Cherokee, Alabama. The funding came from a pot allocated in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, signed by Trump last year.

In July, Hadrian’s Power gave a total of $443,000 to various arms of the Republican National Committee, maxing out individual donation limits to each entity, according to federal disclosures.

The company is also backed by Trump supporter Peter Thiel’s Founders Fund, and by Andreessen Horowitz, whose founders have donated millions of dollars to Maga Inc, the main fundraising group supporting Donald Trump. Marc Andreessen also advises the US government on defence and tech policy.

In a statement, Hadrian said it was “proud to have the support of a broad and diverse group of investors who share our belief in rebuilding American manufacturing and strengthening the country’s industrial base. Those investors include JPMorgan Chase, WCM Investment Management, Washington Harbour Partners, Valor Equity Partners and Morgan Stanley Wealth Management, among others.”

“Their support reflects broad confidence in Hadrian’s mission and our ability to deliver the manufacturing capacity America needs,” it added.

Separately, two 1789 Capital partners, Paul Abrahimzadeh and Joe Voboril, donated a combined total of $300,000 to the RNC in July, according to federal records.