The fact that Donald Trump was elected president of the United States in 2024 did not diminish his drive to pursue new business deals, even under criticism.
After establishing himself in the real estate, media, and crypto-asset sectors, he is moving into the energy sector, driven by the high demand for electricity from companies working with artificial intelligence (AI) .
Trump Media & Technology Group (TMTG), the media company owned by the family of the President of the United States, announced on Thursday, December 18, its merger with the nuclear fusion energy company TAE Technologies, which has the backing of Alphabet , the holding company that owns Google and YouTube, Chevron , and Goldman Sachs .
The agreement will involve a stock swap, resulting in the creation of a $6 billion company, with both companies holding a 50/50 stake in the entity.
In a statement, the companies say the agreement combines Trump Media's "access to significant capital" with TAE's "leading fusion technology" to advance the technology.
As part of the transaction, Trump Media will inject $200 million in cash into TAE and a further $100 million when the merger is completed.
Among the companies' plans is the start of construction of the world's first commercial fusion power plant , with an estimated capacity of 50 megawatts (MWe). The forecast is to build other plants over the years, with larger capacities, between 350 and 500 MWe.
"After more than 25 years of research and development, TAE has significantly reduced the size, cost, and complexity of fusion reactors," the statement reads.
"Fusion power plants are expected to provide affordable, abundant, and reliable electricity, which will help the United States win the AI revolution and maintain its global economic dominance," the text adds.
Founded in 1998, TAE Technologies is one of the oldest companies seeking to make nuclear fusion energy production viable, a process that uses the heat from nuclear fusion reactions, something seen in stars. The technology represents the possibility of having an abundant source of clean energy .
In 2022, according to The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) , Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory achieved a significant breakthrough in the process, boosting the fusion industry, including TAE Technologies.
At the time, a controlled fusion reaction produced more energy than it consumed, using lasers to create the conditions that led hydrogen atoms to fuse and release large amounts of energy.
The agreement is the latest signed by the Trump family since the patriarch's re-election and following the launch of the social network Truth Social in 2021, after being banned from X (formerly Twitter).
During Donald Trump's second term, the family's businesses expanded significantly, with entry into crypto assets and financial products.
According to company statements and documents filed with the SEC and obtained by the WSJ , the ventures launched since Trump's reelection have generated at least $4 billion in profits and wealth for the family through December.
