Golf club firm owned by Trump’s sons merges with drone manufacturer | Business
A golf club company backed by Donald Trump’s sons is merging with drone maker Powerus in a deal designed to take the drone technology company public.
The merger with Aureus Greenway Holdings is the latest in Eric and Donald Trump Jr’s growing investments in the drone industry, following last month’s $1.5 billion merger between Israeli drone maker XTEND and Florida-based JFB Construction Holdings. Drones have become a major procurement priority for the Pentagon and are widely used in Ukraine, where dense air defense systems near the front lines limit the deployment of conventional aircraft.
This growing dependence has also enabled Silicon Valley to attract significant funding into drone and military AI startups, boosting valuations of US companies such as Anduril Industries and Shield AI.
Founded by Andrew Fox in 2025, Powerus produces heavy-duty drones that can carry industrial payloads of up to 675 kg. The company also offers services for the conversion of existing manned vessels into remotely controlled or fully autonomous vessels.
Fox is expected to serve as chief executive officer and president of the combined company, Aureus said in an SEC filing.
In connection with the planned merger, Aureus has engaged Dominari Securities to assist in providing approximately $9 million in financing.
Dominari counts both Trump brothers among its shareholders, with each holding about 6 percent of the shares.
Aureus said the merger could be terminated by both companies if it is not completed by the end of 2026.
This is the latest in a series of business moves by the Trump family, even while Trump is running the White House. Ethics experts have raised many concerns about the family’s business dealings, which have intensified during Trump’s second term beyond hotels and golf courses into other industries, including crypto, energy and financial services.
Typically, U.S. presidents entrust their financial interests to a blind trust managed by an independent third party. Trump has opted to give control of his business to his adult sons as he runs into his second term, which ethics experts say is not enough protection against potential conflicts of interest.
Late last year, Trump Media & Technology Group, the parent company of Trump’s Truth Social platform, announced a $6 billion merger with a fusion energy technology company and agreed to give the company $300 million in cash to continue developing the emerging technology.
In February, a Wall Street Journal report revealed that a member of the Emirati royal family invested $500 million in the Trump family’s cryptocurrency company. Shortly thereafter, Trump announced that he would lift the United Arab Emirates’ export controls and give the country access to 500,000 of Nvidia’s powerful AI chips.
