By Jax Harlan, Washington Insider
Washington, D.C. – October 26, 2025
In a deal that’s got Beltway insiders choking on their single-malt, the Trump administration has inked a blockbuster contract with Unusual Machines—the upstart drone powerhouse advised by none other than Donald Trump Jr.—to supply thousands of cutting-edge drone components to the Pentagon.
Valued at tens of millions, the agreement covers 3,500 drone motors and sundry parts for the U.S. Army’s rapid expansion of unmanned fleets, with whispers of 20,000 more units locked in for 2026. President Trump hailed it as a “tremendous win for American ingenuity,” but critics are screaming “nepotism on steroids,” turning a routine procurement into a powder keg of ethical Armageddon.
Skeptics scoffed at first: Could a Florida fly-by-night outfit, barely a blip on the radar until last November, really snag the Defense Department’s crown jewel? Yet, the ink’s dry—Pentagon filings confirm the order, timed perfectly with Trump’s June executive edict unleashing “American drone dominance” and the July lift on procurement red tape. Unusual Machines, now flush with $80 million in fresh investor cash post-Trump Jr.’s board splash, is churning out domestic parts to wean the military off Chinese knockoffs. “This isn’t coincidence; it’s conquest,” one anonymous Hill staffer leaked to The Hill, pointing to Don Jr.’s $4 million stake—331,580 shares that ballooned after his 2024 advisory gig announcement.
The tinfoil-hat brigade smells sulfur: Did Don Jr., fresh off vetting Pentagon brass in his infamous podcast powwows, whisper sweet nothings to secure the score? Company CEO Allan Evans swears “nope,” insisting his boy’s advisory role is all “strategic smarts, not strings pulled.” A Trump Jr. flack doubled down: “Don’s never chatted up the admin on this—pure coincidence.” But X sleuths unearthed emails hinting at “family synergies,” and Unusual Machines’ stock? It rocketed 100% on the announcement, padding the Trumps’ war chest while soldiers get swarm-ready.
Enter the arms race inferno. With China flooding skies from Taiwan to the South China Sea, this deal turbocharges U.S. drone supremacy—think attritable swarms shredding foes in real-time sims, as gushed by the 101st Airborne’s Chief Warrant Officer John Brown. Patriots cheer: “Finally, jobs and jets back home!” Detractors? They’re apoplectic, filing ethics probes faster than a Hellfire launch. House Oversight Chair Jamie Raskin thundered, “This is pay-to-play with propellers—America deserves better than a family fiefdom.”
But here’s the hook: As Don Jr. eyes more defense dips via his 1789 Capital venture, is this the blueprint for a privatized Pentagon? Leaked memos suggest a “Trump Tech Trove” of follow-on bids, blending MAGA muscle with Silicon savagery. Coincidence or cabal? The dossier drops next week, and the truth might just armageddon the dynasty. In Trump’s America, bloodlines build bombers—and the fallout’s just warming up.
