Trump Organization Challenges New York Times’ Article Claiming Financial Impropriety

The Trump Organization is calling on the New York Times to retract a recent story it labels as ‘libelous.’ The organization claims the story was crafted to imply financial misconduct by Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump, as outlined in a legal letter acquired by Fox News Digital.

The article in question, titled “Trump Cut a Billion-Dollar Mining Deal. His Sons Stand to Profit,” was published this week. It links President Donald Trump’s elder sons to a tungsten deal established with Kazakhstan’s President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev in September 2025.

Your June 28 article is deeply misleading and appears deliberately crafted to create the false impression that Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump were involved in, or sought to influence, the decision to award the Kazakhstan tungsten mine project to an affiliate of Cove Capital.

The letter, penned by Trump Organization attorney Alan Garten, is addressed to the New York Times’ editor-in-chief Joseph Kahn and the story’s authors, Eric Lipton and Paul Sonne.

A spokesperson for the New York Times defended the report, maintaining that Eric and Donald Jr. have indeed profited from the U.S.-Kazakh tungsten mining agreement. The spokesperson further clarified that the article stated the brothers were indirect and passive investors.

Tungsten and U.S. Strategic Interests

Tungsten is utilized by the United States for military equipment production, including missiles and jets. China, Russia, and North Korea control much of the global supply. The Trump administration prioritized securing a source for this mineral.

Kazakhstan holds abundant tungsten resources, prompting Trump to pursue a deal with the nation early in his second term. This pursuit culminated in a meeting in September 2025 at New York’s St. Regis Hotel, attended by Tokayev and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick.

The Role of Dominari Securities

The report ties the Trump siblings to Dominari Securities, an investment firm. The brothers hold minority shares in Dominari Holdings Inc., Dominari Securities’ parent company. According to sources, the Trump brothers are passive investors in a tungsten mining operation facilitated by Dominari.

Dominari Securities invested in Skyline Builders in August 2025. Following a verbal agreement from the September meeting, Skyline collaborated with Cove Capital, which invested in the mining project. U.S. government agencies supported the project with up to $1.6 billion in financing.

The Trump Organization emphasized that the brothers had no influence over awarding the Kazakhstan contract. Communication records back this claim, showing no discussions between Cove Capital and the Trump brothers before securing financing.

Trump Organization’s Response

In response to the article, the Trump Organization dismissed claims of the Trump brothers’ involvement in the tungsten deal as “categorically false” and “libelous.” The organization’s statement, shared with Fox News Digital, highlighted that the brothers had no control over Cove Capital, its affiliates, or Skyline Builders.

The White House weighed in, with spokesperson Kush Desai stating the Trump administration’s decisions are guided by American interests. The administration, including Secretary Lutnick, aims to secure and protect America’s critical supply chains.