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Firm linked to Trump’s sons got nearly $40M in federal contracts

newsNov 9, 2026198,420

The Trump administration awarded XpresTest nearly $40 million in federal contracts months after a fund called American Ventures, linked to President Donald Trump’s elder sons, invested in XpresTest’s parent company XWELL. One contract pays XpresTest to screen for Ebola at several U.S. airports and another funds a response to disease outbreaks in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The awards are about seven times the total value of government contracts XpresTest had directly received before; XpresTest has years of experience screening for COVID-19 and other pathogens at U.S. airports but has never worked with Ebola or provided biosecurity services abroad. XWELL last year derived most of its revenue from waxing salons and airport spas that offer manicures, massages and chakra beds. Ezra Ernst, XWELL’s CEO, said the contracts were won competitively but called the Congo work risky and said, I’m not sure we can do it. The Congo Ebola outbreak has killed more than 5,000 people this year, and under a State Department program that could fund outbreak responses the agency announced up to $4.5 billion; XpresTest received about $20 million from that program while other aid nonprofits received awards of $25 million to $35 million.

The Tennessee Holler
@thetnholler.bsky.social

PRO PUBLICA: “Firm Linked to Trump’s Sons Got Nearly $40 Million in Federal Contracts to Screen for Ebola and Other Diseases…” Endless self-dealing and corruption. And the Hunter hunters are silent. www.propublica.org/article/trum...

59394d ago
Rachel Maddow
@maddow.bsky.social

because surely america's most qualified and experienced experts in ebola testing are the president's two eldest sons. www.propublica.org/article/trum...

19333d ago
Anna Maria Barry-Jester
@annamaria.bsky.social

NEW: The Trump admin awarded a company nearly $40 million in Ebola contracts just months after a firm linked to Trump’s elder sons invested in it. w/ @fastlerner.bsky.social @robert-faturechi.bsky.social www.propublica.org/article/trum...

3293d ago
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