★ Private Action
Donald Trump Jr. joins venture firm 1789 Capital
Conservative Donor NetworksTrump Family Business Dealings
Filed November 2024
★ The Brief
What happened
On November 10, 2024, days after his father's election, Donald Trump Jr. announced he would join 1789 Capital as a partner; the conservative-focused venture firm, backed by Rebekah Mercer and Omeed Malik, counts Tucker Carlson's media company among its holdings.
Who enabled it
Who benefits
Deal or steal?
Within a year the firm placed Trump Jr. on the advisory board of prediction-market platform Polymarket, weeks after federal investigations into the company were dropped, turning his new partnership into a stake in a business directly shaped by his father's administration.
Donald Trump Jr. announced at the Rockbridge Network's fall conference in Las Vegas on November 10, 2024, that he would be joining 1789 Capital as a partner. 1789 Capital is a venture capital firm focused on companies and products popular with conservative audiences; its portfolio includes Tucker Carlson's media company. Other partners and backers of the firm include investor Omeed Malik and prominent Republican donor Rebekah Mercer. The announcement came in response to a question from Rockbridge Network leader Chris Buskirk about whether Trump Jr. would join his father's incoming administration.
Actors
Who pushed it · 3Who initiated, paid, or pushed the action.
Donald Trump Jr.Announced he would join 1789 Capital as a partner, bringing his profile as the president-elect's eldest son and liaison to the tech and crypto communities to the conservative-focused venture capital firm.
- Omeed Malik
Serves as a partner and backer of 1789 Capital, aligning his investment activities with a firm now formally associated with Donald Trump Jr.
- Rebekah Mercer
Prominent Republican donor and backer of 1789 Capital, maintaining financial ties to a venture firm now partnered with the president-elect's son.
Beneficiaries
Who gained · 1Who stood to gain.
1789 CapitalGained Donald Trump Jr. as a named partner, adding the president-elect's son to a firm already backed by prominent conservative donors and investors.
Further reading
- ★ Private ActionApril 2025Trump Jr. and Witkoff sons launch $500K-per-member DC club
- ★ Private ActionAugust 20251789 Capital invests in Polymarket, places partner Trump Jr. on board
- ★ Private ActionMay 2026Trump sons anchor Dominari's $1B American Ventures portfolio
- ★ Government ActionApril 2026U.S. Air Force orders drones from Trump-tied Dominari portfolio firm
- ★ Government ActionNovember 2025U.S. agencies pledge $1.6B to Kazakhstan mine of Trump-orbit firm
- ★ Private ActionMay 2025Fr8Tech buys $20M in $TRUMP memecoin as trade advocacy