A $24 million Pentagon contract linked to President Trump’s son Eric to develop “the strongest robot humanoid that exists anywhere in the world” is drawing fire for its appearance of impropriety. The contract has been awarded to Foundation Future Industries (FFI), a startup founded in 2024.
“Is the Pentagon just a cash machine for Trump’s kids now?” wrote Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren on X. “This looks like corruption in plain sight.”
Critics note that FFI CEO Sankaet Pathak was formerly the CEO of a financial tech firm that went bankrupt. Eric Trump is tagged as chief strategy advisor. Military and robotics expertise is provided by Marine veteran Mike LeBlanc, co-founder of Cobalt Robotics. In 2024, CNBC reported FFI was touting funding links to General Motors, a claim the automotive marque flatly denied.
Pathak says the company’s Phantom 2 humanoid will debut in a few months and is designed for logistics and reconnaissance roles in the military. The Phantom 2 will apparently draw on the lessons derived from the company’s existing Phantom MK-1 robot, which was reportedly field-tested in Ukraine but in non-combat roles. The MK-1 stands at 5’7” and weighs 176 pounds. The MK-1 walks at 1.7 meters per second, employs an eight camera vision system and can carry a 44-pound payload, according to media reports. The Phantom 2 needs to be the strongest in the world to be competitive against China, said Pathak in a Fox Business interview.
“The uses are unlimited and I think it is a very beautiful thing, but we must win this race,” said Pathak on Fox’s Mornings With Maria television broadcast.
The FFI contract is relatively small in Pentagon terms and amounts to what could be termed a research project. Production at scale would require billions of dollars in investment.
Meanwhile, the President’s other son, Donald Jr., also is exploring the frontiers of military tech. Bloomberg reports a 2025 startup called Powerus—both sons are board members—will supply the U.S. Air Force with drone interceptors. The Guardian 2 is said to be a low-cost, semi-autonomous drone interceptor. The dollar value and amount of units are unknown but the deal is the startup’s first military contract. Powerus is based in West Palm Beach, FL, home base for President Trump. The company also is anticipating Middle East sales. The Powerus deal comes against the backdrop of a reported Pentagon effort to allocate $1.1 billion toward building a broader American base for drone production.
