Money Grab/Profit from his own market-moving decisions
Don Jr. and Eric join Dominari’s board as stock surges
Dominari Holdings, a micro-cap brokerage headquartered in Trump Tower, named the president’s two eldest sons to its advisory board on February 11, 2025. Its shares rose as much as 84% that day. Within weeks the brothers’ holdings were reported at up to $9.6 million.
What happened
On February 11, 2025, Dominari Holdings, a small brokerage and wealth manager headquartered in Trump Tower with a market value of about $50 million, announced that Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump had joined its advisory board and invested in a private placement. The stock rose as much as 84% that day to a record high. A $13.5 million financing was announced the same day.
The Financial Times later reported the shares had already risen about 580% in the six weeks before the announcement, on unusual volume that securities lawyers called suspicious. Dominari pays about $750,000 a year in rent to Trump Tower.
Filings showed each brother held 966,138 shares, 6.7% of the company, plus warrants for 432,276 more. An April 2025 resale registration listed 1,648,414 shares each, and three other Trump Organization executives also held stock, bringing the group to more than 20% of the company.
Forbes reported that the brothers received about $3 million in stock each for roughly 10 weeks on the board and could sell about $9.6 million of shares. The value is a paper figure that moves with the stock. It is logged as paper value, not counted as cash.
Who benefited
Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump received stock worth about $3 million each for an advisory role, and their combined holdings were valued at $9.6 million to $13 million within weeks. Existing Dominari shareholders and insiders saw their stock rise more than 500% around the announcement.
Who wanted something
Dominari Holdings had no specific business before the government that the record shows. What the company got was the president’s sons on its advisory board, an 84% one-day jump, and a $13.5 million financing announced the same day. It is also a Trump Tower tenant paying about $750,000 a year.
Who lost out
Investors who bought Dominari shares after the February 11, 2025 jump paid prices driven by the Trump name rather than by any change in the business. So did anyone who sold to the buyers who moved in during the six-week run-up before the news was public. No public money was involved.
Why it matters
Two presidential sons were paid in stock for an advisory role, and the stock had already climbed 580% before the news that they had taken it. The gain depended on the family name, not on the company’s business. The record lists the $9.6 million as paper value, not cash.
Sources CNBC via NBC Los AngelesForbes (via Forbes Argentina)Dominari Holdings Form S-3 (SEC) (primary)NewsTRACS