NEW YORK — Florida-based drone maker Powerus announced in March 2026 a deal to bring Eric Trump and Donald Trump Jr. aboard the company. The two oldest sons of President Donald Trump joined the firm as it pursues sales of defensive drone interceptors to Gulf countries.

Powerus is conducting drone demonstrations in several Gulf countries to show how its interceptors could help ward off Iranian attacks. Brett Velicovich, co-founder of Powerus, declined to name the countries where demonstrations were taking place. "Our team is doing many demos across the Middle East right now for our interceptors," Velicovich said.

Powerus denied that the Trump brothers' stake in the company created any conflicts of interest when the arrangement was first announced. The Trump Organization has previously dismissed claims of conflicts of interest. Eric Trump and Donald Trump Jr. are executives at the Trump Organization and have equity stakes or advisory roles in companies involved in cryptocurrency ventures, prediction markets, and federal contracting of rocket parts and rare earth magnets.

"These countries are under enormous pressure to buy from the sons of the president so he will do what they want," said Richard Painter, former chief White House ethics lawyer under President George W. Bush. "This is going to be the first family of a president to make a lot of money off war — a war he didn't get the consent of Congress for," Painter said.

"I am incredibly proud to invest in companies I believe in. Drones are clearly the wave of the future," Eric Trump, an executive at the Trump Organization, said. "We should be thankful anyone is trying to invest in American manufacturing now. That idea transcends politics," Velicovich said.

Founded by U.S. Army Special Operations veterans about a year ago, Powerus makes drones for commercial uses including spreading fertilizer and putting out forest fires. The company is scaling up to supply drones for military uses and aims to help the United States catch up with and surpass Chinese and Russian drone manufacturers.

Powerus recently raised $60 million from investors. The company hopes to obtain additional financing by conducting a reverse merger with a Trump company listed on the Nasdaq stock exchange that owns a few golf courses in Florida. A reverse merger allows a private business to go public by taking over a company that already has publicly traded shares, shortening the process of filing paperwork and meeting initial public offering requirements.

In early March 2026, President Trump, as commander in chief, launched strikes alongside Israel against Iran. The Pentagon has set aside $1.1 billion to build a U.S. manufacturing base for armed drones, and the Trump administration banned imports of armed drones from China.