Trump sons' spokesperson says they 'have every right to pursue lawful business and investment opportunities'
Donald Trump Jr.Spokesperson for Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump, in a statement to ProPublica
A spokesperson for Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump tells ProPublica that both are private citizens who hold no government positions, have broken no laws and have every right to pursue lawful business and investment opportunities.
Responding to
XpresTest won its CDC Ebola entry screening contract and its State Department outbreak response award through competitive bidding.
“Both are private citizens who hold no government positions, broken no laws and who have every right to pursue lawful business and investment opportunities”
Reporting
Where this statement fits
XpresTest won nearly $40 million in Ebola screening awards months after a fund tied to Trump's sons invested in its parent; the sons say they had no role
On November 9, 2026, ProPublica reported that XpresTest, the biosurveillance subsidiary of XWELL Inc., received an $18.8 million CDC contract to screen travelers for Ebola at U.S. airports and a $20 million State Department award for outbreak response in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Both came months after American Ventures, a fund launched by Dominari Holdings, invested about $30 million in XWELL. Dominari hired Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump as advisers and gave them a stake of more than 10%, according to ProPublica. XWELL's chief executive, Ezra Ernst, told ProPublica that XpresTest won both awards in competitive bidding. The federal award record for the CDC contract lists it as not competed, with one offer received, under the urgency exception in FAR 6.302-2. The State Department says its award was competitive. A spokesperson for the Trump sons says they are passive minority investors in the fund and had no involvement in the contracts.
Source and context
Reporting
About this source
ProPublica reports that XpresTest, a subsidiary of XWELL, received an $18.8 million CDC contract for Ebola entry screening at U.S. airports and a $20 million State Department award for outbreak response in the Democratic Republic of Congo, months after American Ventures, a fund launched by Dominari Holdings, invested about $30 million in XWELL. It includes responses from the State Department, a spokesperson for Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump, Dominari's chief executive and XWELL's chief executive.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Before the quotation
The spokesperson tells ProPublica that the sons are merely passive, minority investors in a fund that invested in the company, and that they had no involvement in or knowledge of the negotiation or procurement of any of its contracts, including government contracts.
After the quotation
ProPublica reports that the sons' connection to XWELL was established in February, when American Ventures, a fund launched by Dominari Holdings, invested in the company.
How this statement is classified
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why this label?
The reference point is the award of nearly $40 million in federal Ebola screening and outbreak response funding to XpresTest months after a fund tied to Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump invested in its parent company, XWELL. The spokesperson says the sons are passive investors with no part in the contracts and calls their investing lawful, which defends their stake in the company that won the awards.
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- Trump sons' spokesperson says they 'have every right to pursue lawful business and investment opportunities'
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The Dispute Index. "Trump sons' spokesperson says they 'have every right to pursue lawful business and investment opportunities'". First published: 2026-11-10. Last updated: 2026-11-10. https://disputeindex.com/events/8504-a-spokesperson-for-donald-trump-jr-and-eric