After Unusual Machines Names Donald Trump Jr. To New Advisory Board, Defense Contracts Follow

Key Facts

Crucial Quote

“He had a strong alignment with investors through 1789 [Capital, a venture capital fund] and otherwise who are very interested in MAGA or on-shoring or making America great, et cetera. So the engagement is really the outreach to the groups that are interested in what we’re trying to do,” Evans told Forbes, when asked what experience Donald Trump Jr. had that appealed to Unusual Machines. He went on to add, “In a lot of ways, it was the same attention Oprah [Winfrey] brought to Weight Watchers when she first joined.”

Contra

Winfrey’s involvement aligned with her long-public discussion of weight—and her father wasn’t in a position to direct taxpayer funds to Weight Watchers.

Key Background

Unusual Machines (NYSE: UMAC) was incorporated as Red Cat Motor Corporation in Puerto Rico in 2019, renamed AerocarveUS Corporation the following year and then rechristened Unusual Machines in 2022. The company went public in February 2024 in a $5 million IPO, simultaneously closing acquisitions of Fat Shark, a manufacturer of video goggles for drone pilots, and Rotor Riot, a drone marketplace. In October 2024, it closed a $2 million private placement. In 2024, it reported $5.6 million in revenue, according to its annual report. In the first six months of 2025, Unusual Machines reported $4.2 million in revenue. Those figures appear to have skyrocketed in the past three months, with Unusual Machines announcing deals worth more than $15.2 million. All orders the company highlighted in its recent press release came from U.S. defense contractors or the U.S. Army’s 101st Airborne Division. In June, President Donald Trump signed an executive order to “unleash American drone dominance.”

Is Unusual Machines Getting These Contracts Because Of Its Trump Connection?

Donald Trump Jr. has not been involved in any discussions with Unusual Machines’ potential clients, Evans said. A spokesperson for the 101st Airborne Division confirmed its order and referred questions about Donald Trump Jr.’s role back to Unusual Machines. Andrew Valkenburg, chief operating officer of Strategic Logix, said his company’s $12.8 million order was driven by Unusual Machines’ American-based supply chain. The two firms started talking around December 2024, a month after Donald Trump Jr. joined, but Valkenburg said his company didn’t learn of his connection until after the deal, and then it was via a third party. A spokesperson for Red Cat, which bought $800,000 worth of drone components and had a relationship with Unusual Machines that predated Donald Trump Jr.’s involvement, did not respond to an inquiry. Unusual Machines also sold $1.6 million of cameras and goggles to a U.S. defense domestic drone manufacturer but would not disclose its name at its request.

Big Number

$2.8 million. That’s the value of the 200,000 shares Donald Trump Jr. was awarded for joining the advisory board, as of Tuesday’s close. He also bought 66,000 shares and 66,000 warrants in a private placement in October 2024, according to a SEC filing.

Chief Critic

“Those Hunter no-show no-experience board seats didn’t come without an expected return!,” Donald Trump Jr. tweeted in 2021, referring to Hunter Biden.

What We Don’t Know

Unusual Machines did not disclose the price of the Army’s order. A spokesperson for the 101st Airborne Division referred requests to the Defense Logistics Agency, which did not respond.

What To Watch For

Unusual Machines’ next quarterly report (due in mid-November) and government contracting records could show if it wins any more government work (the company said that the Army has indicated plans to make another purchase in 2026). Donald Trump’s advisory-board agreement appears set to expire next month, although it can be renewed.

Donald Trump Jr’s 11 New Business Roles Since His Father’s Inauguration

Like the rest of his family, whatever reservations Donald Trump Jr. had about expanding his business ventures during his father’s first term are long gone in Trump II. Already an executive vice president of the Trump Organization, co-founder of Winning Team Publishing and a board member of Trump Media & Technology Group, Donald Trump Jr. has taken on roles in at least 11 more companies since his father’s re-election. In addition to Unusual Machines’ advisory board, he joined anti-ESG venture firm 1789 Capital as a partner and became a board member of conservative marketplace Public Square, online firearm retailer GrabAGun and online prescription delivery company BlinkRx. He also became an adviser to Dominari Holdings, Mixed Martial Arts Group, the blank-check company New America Acquisition I Corp and online predictions market Polymarket. And he invested in American Bitcoin and co-founded another blank-check company, Colombier Acquisition Corp. III.

Surprising Fact

Unusual Machines’ independent auditor from 2022 through April 2024 was BF Borgers. The following month, the SEC charged BF Borgers with “massive fraud” for failing to follow basic accounting standards across more than 1,500 filings. The firm, which audited over 500 public companies, agreed to pay a $12 million fine and a lifetime ban from the industry. BF Borgers also audited Trump Media & Technology Group, the parent company of Truth Social. Unusual Machines had listed BF Borgers’ work as a risk factor in a SEC filing made before the allegations were public, citing an enforcement action in Canada—a filing BF Borgers signed off on without objection, Evans said.

Tangent

Donald Trump Jr. made $813,000 in 2024 as a director of Trump Media & Technology Group—roughly a quarter of the company’s annual revenue—despite attending just two of five board meetings, according to an SEC filing made in February. A spokesperson for the company told Forbes at the time that Donald Trump Jr. was “highly engaged in the board’s work, as well as TMTG’s operations and strategy.”

Forbes Valuation

Donald Trump Jr. is now worth about $500 million, up from approximately $50 million last year, according to Forbes estimates.

Further Viewing

Further Reading

Presidency Boosts Trump’s Net Worth By $3 Billion In A Year (Forbes)How Trump’s Sons Cashed In On Their Father’s Comeback (Forbes)

How 19-Year-Old Barron Trump Is Worth $150 Million (Forbes)

How Jared Kushner’s Bold Bets In The Middle East Made Him A Billionaire (Forbes)

After Years Of Making Virtually No Money, Melania Trump Finally Cashes In (Forbes)