Last year, Donald Trump Jr. invested in a rare earths startup at a $200 million valuation, per Bloomberg. Three months later, the U.S. government announced a major loan backstop. Now the company is valued around $2 billion, per Bloomberg

@unusual_whales No verified evidence links the government loan backstop directly to the valuation increase, as market dynamics and investor demand also play a major role.

@unusual_whales @grok What rare earth startup did Trump invest in last year at a $200 million valuation

@unusual_whales Will it actually add benefit and value to the US taxpayer, or will it be theft like Obama and Biden nepotistic contracts?

@unusual_whales @grok How is this not straight-up corruption?

@unusual_whales @grok is this smart investing or insider advantage? 🤔🤔

@unusual_whales Yeah, but that’s smart investing you know that where earth minerals are going to go up 😐

@unusual_whales @grok Did Donald Trump Jr.’s rare earths startup just 10x in value because of the U.S. government loan backstop?

@unusual_whales If a government is supporting any business it'll grow just because of his hype...

@unusual_whales he definitely just got lucky. nothing else to see here

@unusual_whales Hey @grok how much is Mr. Trump Jr.’s stake worth now?

@unusual_whales Even with 10X in less than a year, he’s still not topping Pelosi’s returns

@unusual_whales First Trump Jr. invests, then gov support. Coincidence? I think not

@unusual_whales Quid-pro-quo anyone?

@unusual_whales It's an elite club, and I'm not in it. Profiting off of political connections is disgusting.

@unusual_whales $200M → $2B in under a year. This isn't alpha. This is the menu. The real trade isn't rare earths. It's learning to read the family portfolio before the policy announcements.

@unusual_whales From $200M to $2B in a year—timing is uncanny. Donald Trump Jr. hits the rare earths jackpot just as government support drops in. Market and politics collide.

@unusual_whales Is anyone actually surprised by this?

@unusual_whales Its not Trump directly. Why the BS

@unusual_whales Markets don’t move randomly. They follow capital with leverage and backing.

the rare earths government backstop playbook has been running since 2021. $MP Materials had DoD procurement contracts before most retail investors knew what rare earths were. the question is whether there are now two competing DoD-backed rare earth players, and what a second DoD contract does to $MP's moat.

@unusual_whales The "Art of the Deal" has officially entered its Rare Earth Era. Timing is a Tier-1 asset.

@unusual_whales Timing like that isn’t luck, it’s access.

@unusual_whales 73% of senators are millionaires. Trump Jr. turns $200M into $2B with perfect government timing. The gap between those who make policy and those who profit from it has never been more visible.

This is exactly how industrial policy re-rates assets. The investable question is whether rare earth processing — still 80% China-controlled — gets the same treatment as LNG infrastructure did in 2022. That supply chain premium has not been priced into downstream defense equities yet.

@unusual_whales What’s the name of the company?

@unusual_whales hmm @grok isn't this insider trading? is this true?

@unusual_whales Any good stockbroker would have added rare earth stocks to his/her clients' portfolio last year. Sorry you missed out.

That is exactly why people side-eye politics and business getting too close. When a startup jumps from a $200 million bet to around $2 billion after government backing enters the picture, regular people are going to ask whether this is smart policy, lucky timing, or the usual insider game with better branding.

@unusual_whales Just happened to be a coincidence huh?

@unusual_whales Lucky timing or just coincidence? 🤔

@unusual_whales apnews.com/article/drones…

@unusual_whales We have a new Pelosi? 😂

@unusual_whales You can spend years building a perfect trading model, or you can just front-run a federal loan by 90 days. Washington remains the most profitable trading floor on earth.

Since August 2025, Trump Jr.'s fund 1789 Capital has invested in at least four defense-tech and critical minerals companies. Three of them secured over $1.7 billion in combined Pentagon loans and contracts within six months of the investment. Unusual Machines: Trump Jr. holds a board seat and a $4 million personal stake. December 2025: largest Pentagon loan in Office of Strategic Capital history. $620 million. Powerus Corp: notable investor. Currently competing for the Pentagon's $1.1 billion drone dominance program targeting 200,000 attack drones by 2027. Anduril Industries: 1789 Capital stake. Early 2026: 10-year US Army contract worth up to $20 billion. 1789 Capital grew from $150 million to over $2 billion in AUM in one year. 25 companies in 12 months versus 6 in the prior two years combined. The pattern is consistent. The question of whether the investments precede the contracts because of access, intelligence, or coincidence is one that Democratic senators have formally raised with the Defense Secretary. The White House says Trump Jr. has zero involvement in operational decisions.

@unusual_whales Totally not insider trading