The Art of the StealA project of the Save America Movement

Private Action

1789 Capital invests in Polymarket, places partner Trump Jr. on board

Betting Goes LegalDon Jr.'s Board SeatsEasing Up on Crypto

Filed August 2025

★ The Brief

What happened

On August 26, 2025, Polymarket announced a strategic investment from 1789 Capital, the firm where Donald Trump Jr. is a partner, and added him to its advisory board, weeks after the prediction-market platform bought a CFTC-licensed exchange to re-enter the U.S.

Who enabled it

Deal or steal?

Weeks before Trump Jr. took the board seat, both the DOJ and the CFTC closed their Polymarket investigations without charges, clearing the platform's path back into the U.S. just as the president's son joined the company that benefited.

★ Cast your vote

On August 26, 2025, Polymarket announced that 1789 Capital — a Palm Beach-based investment firm co-founded by Omeed Malik and Chris Buskirk — made a strategic investment in the company. Financial terms were not disclosed. As part of the arrangement, Donald Trump Jr., a partner at 1789 Capital, was formally welcomed to Polymarket's advisory board. The announcement came shortly after Polymarket completed a $112 million acquisition of QCEX, a CFTC-licensed exchange and clearinghouse, enabling the company's planned re-entry into the U.S. market. Polymarket reported approximately $6 billion in user predictions in the first half of 2025.