Money Grab/Give government contracts to family and donors
Army awards Palantir enterprise deal worth up to $10 billion
On July 31, 2025, the Army consolidated 75 Palantir contracts into a single 10-year agreement with a ceiling of up to $10 billion. Palantir’s co-founder Peter Thiel and CEO Alex Karp are both major Trump donors.
What happened
On July 31, 2025, the Army announced it had consolidated 75 separate Palantir contracts, 15 prime and 60 related, into one 10-year Enterprise Service Agreement. The agreement’s ceiling is up to $10 billion. The Army said that figure is the maximum potential value, not dollars it has committed to spend, and that buying directly cuts out reseller fees. Officials described it as one of several enterprise software deals the Army plans.
In December 2024, the month after the election, Palantir CEO Alex Karp gave $1 million to MAGA Inc., the pro-Trump super PAC, and $1 million to the inaugural committee. He had previously donated to Kamala Harris. Palantir was co-founded by Peter Thiel, a Trump ally and major donor.
Karp and his then-senior adviser Jacob Helberg, now an administration official, gave nearly $3.9 million in total to Trump-aligned committees and the inauguration. Palantir also donated to the White House ballroom project. The $10 billion is a contract ceiling and a public cost, not money to the Trump family. How much has been obligated under it is not public.
Who benefited
Palantir holds a single 10-year Army agreement with a $10 billion ceiling in place of 75 contracts. Its federal business has grown across the government, including a 297% rise in ICE revenue to $81.1 million in the administration’s first year.
Who wanted something
Palantir had 75 Army contracts when the agreement was signed and had long argued for buying software directly. Its co-founder Peter Thiel is a Trump ally and major donor; its CEO gave $2 million to Trump-aligned committees in the month after the election. Both were major financial supporters of the president whose Army signed the deal.
Who lost out
The money is public: Army spending of up to $10 billion over 10 years to a single company. The Army says the ceiling is not an obligation, and no public figure shows how much has been spent against it. You pay whatever the figure turns out to be.
Why it matters
A company whose co-founder and CEO are major Trump donors received a 10-year Army agreement with a $10 billion ceiling six months into his term. The Army says consolidation saves money. No one has published what has actually been obligated.
Sources U.S. Army (primary)DefenseScoopWashington TechnologyPOGO Investigates / Investigative Reporting Workshop