Trump and sons bet big on semiconductors, data centers amid AI deregulation push

President Donald Trump and his two sons have been pouring money into semiconductors, data centers and other AI-related industries — even as Trump has consistently shrugged off calls to slow the pace of AI development. The overlap between the administration's pro-development policy stance and the family's financial interests is fueling a growing conflict-of-interest debate.

According to the Washington Post, Trump has bought and sold shares in a range of semiconductor, server and energy companies — core infrastructure of the AI boom — since returning to the White House.

Among roughly 30,000 stock transactions disclosed since his return to office, a significant number involved AI-linked companies including Dell Technologies, Micron Technology and GE Vernova.

More recently, Trump also purchased shares in companies whose stock prices had fallen amid a broader push to slow AI development — among them chipmakers Broadcom and Texas Instruments, and data center equipment firms Credo Technology and Super Micro Computer.

His two sons have also channeled money into AI and data center ventures through their investment vehicles.

Donald Trump Jr., the eldest, is a partner at 1789 Capital, a Florida-based investment firm that has assembled a $1.2 billion fund focused on digital infrastructure real estate, including data centers.

Companies owned by or connected to the Trump family are also expanding into the AI infrastructure market.

Trump Media and Technology Group — the parent company of Truth Social, where Trump posts daily — has merged with a nuclear power plant developer. Nuclear energy has emerged as a major beneficiary of the AI boom, as the rapid expansion of data centers drives surging electricity demand.

The family's investments have drawn scrutiny precisely because they coincide with the president's efforts to block AI regulation.

Trump has repeatedly dismissed industry calls to slow AI development over fears that the technology could advance beyond human control, instead insisting that the United States cannot afford to fall behind China in the AI race.

Some analysts say the emphasis on American AI supremacy is also calculated to strengthen Trump's negotiating hand with China ahead of his White House summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday.

The core concern, as the Post framed it, is that Trump sits in a position to directly shape AI policy while his own assets — and those of his sons and family-linked businesses — are broadly exposed to the AI sector. The paper said the widening scope of the family's AI investments makes conflict-of-interest accusations increasingly difficult to avoid.

Past presidents have typically placed their assets in blind trusts to eliminate potential conflicts of interest while in office. Trump, by contrast, has placed his assets in a trust managed by his eldest son.

That arrangement has consistently raised concerns that the president could, if he chose, exert influence over individual stock trades — particularly given that AI regulation and support policies can directly affect the share prices of the companies involved.

The White House denied any conflict of interest.

In a statement, the White House said a fully independent manager oversees Trump's investments and that neither the president nor any family member has any influence over what is bought or sold, or when.