Donald Trump and his sons, Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump, are facing fresh scrutiny over a critical minerals agreement between the United States and Kazakhstan.
The deal has raised questions about whether Trump’s family could benefit from business opportunities linked to his administration’s policy priorities.
The White House has denied suggestions that the administration is mixing government work with family business, insisting its actions are guided by national and economic security concerns.
Donald Trump Helped Push $1.6 Billion Tungsten Deal
Late last year, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick met Kazakhstan’s president at the St. Regis Hotel to discuss a deal giving an American company access to one of the world’s largest untapped tungsten reserves.
Tungsten is a critical mineral used across the defense and technology sectors. Its extremely high melting point makes it valuable in ammunition, missile warheads, fighter jet engines, hypersonic weapons, semiconductors, and computer chips.
According to The New York Times, President Donald Trump also played a role in advancing the deal, reportedly joining by phone before it was finalized.
Before the agreement was reached, the Trump administration approved a $1.6 billion financing application for the company, now called Kaz Resources.
Donald Trump’s Sons’ Stake Raises Conflict Concerns
The scrutiny intensified after reports that the Trump sons, Donald Jr. and Eric, as well as Lutnick’s sons, Kyle and Brandon, became connected to business arrangements tied to the project.
According to The NY Times, Eric and Don Jr used Dominari Securities, an investment firm with an office in Trump Tower, to join other partners in taking a 20% stake in the Kazakhstan project.
Around the same period, Cantor Fitzgerald, the investment firm linked to Lutnick and overseen by his sons Brandon and Kyle, helped a lead investor working with Dominari raise $210 million in capital.
The timing has drawn particular attention because the mineral deal was signed on November 6, six days after the investment involving Trump’s sons, which had not been publicly disclosed at the time.
Trump And Lutnick Ties Go Beyond One Deal
Federal filings also showed that one or both families are linked to 14 companies that work with the federal government on critical-minerals deals, including the Kazakhstan project.
The companies have either benefited directly from financial assistance offered by the Trump administration or have applications pending with the Commerce Department, which Lutnick leads.
According to the outlet, the total amount the administration has provided or is still considering exceeds $8.9 billion.
The findings have troubled some government officials, including Rep. Maxine Dexter of Oregon, who called for stronger oversight.
“Congress needs to make sure that taxpayer dollars are being used in the public’s interest and not to benefit family members or those closely tied to the Trump administration,” she said in an interview.
Trump Administration Defends Tungsten Project
The White House and Commerce Department have denied suggestions that government responsibilities are being mixed with family business interests.
“The only special interest guiding the Trump administration’s decision-making is the best interest of the American people,” White House spokesman Kush Desai said. “Securing and reshoring America’s critical supply chains has been a top priority for President Trump, and Secretary Lutnick, along with the rest of the administration, continues to take historic action to safeguard America’s national and economic security.”
Representatives for Kaz Resources and the Trump family have also defended the project, arguing that the timing of the investments did not overlap with federal decision-making.
Kaz Resources executive chairman Pini Althaus said negotiations for the tungsten deal began during the Biden administration and insisted the company did not receive political favors.
He claimed that after the St. Regis meeting, new investors approached him, and that he had never met Trump’s sons or known they were involved.
“I can see how the optics might be disturbing to some people,” Althaus said. “But that’s unfortunate because this company and this project go way beyond any one president, let alone any family.”
Donald Trump Supporters Defend Sons’ Business Ties
The reports have sparked mixed reactions online, with critics accusing the Trump family of corruption while supporters argued that the president’s sons are private citizens.
“Wow – This is not ok @POTUS – this looks really bad – Flagrant conflicts – We can’t trust our government- No one – we thought we could trust you,” one disappointed X user wrote.
Another argued that Trump’s sons should not be “allowed to do business when their daddy has his thumb on the scale,” claiming that instead of competing like traditional companies, they “use bribery and personal relationships and we end up with the reflecting pool.”
However, some MAGA supporters defended the arrangement, with one writing, “You can complain, but qualified companies get these contracts, and the taxpayer-funded loans get repaid with interest. Trump’s sons are private citizens and are allowed to do business.”