Defense firms seek Trump 2.0 sway amid "incredible" excitement
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President Trump at Capital One Arena in Washington on Jan. 20. Photo: Danny Gonzalez/DVIDS
What do defense contractors, tech companies, investors and LinkedIn try-hards all have in common? They know President Trump is going to shock the Pentagon, and they are trying to get their foot in the door.
Why it matters: There's a post-inauguration wave to ride. It's now American maximalism — build, baby, build! — and the returning commander in chief is the spark plug.
Driving the news: Big, public plays for attention and influence are unfolding as Trump 2.0 coalesces.
- General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc. CEO Linden Blue in a letter to the Elon Musk-led Department of Government Efficiency offered advice on fixing defense acquisition. "Past reform efforts, often supervised by the very organizations most in need of reform," he wrote, "have failed."
- L3Harris Technologies CEO Chris Kubasik also wrote to DOGE with policy recommendations, including jumpstarting the "Arsenal of Democracy 2.0" and tweaking how lucrative contracts are protested.
- Joe Lonsdale, the cofounder of Palantir Technologies and managing partner at 8VC, in a blog post argued the "woke tech giants of the last decade have given way to a new crop of patriotic leaders and innovators." He added: "With a few bold moves, President Trump's promised Golden Age and a second century of American dominance are within reach."
- Scale AI CEO Alexandr Wang placed a full-page, back-cover ad in the Washington Post calling on Trump to "win the AI War." (This feels especially prescient in the wake of DeepSeek's breakthrough.)
With the new administration comes "an incredible amount of excitement" as it "pertains to ensuring U.S. leadership in AI and other technologies," Wang told Axios after the ad ran.
- "There's an incredible amount of receptivity — listening to all of us about what the best path forward is and what's the best way to ensure that America and the U.S. stay ahead."
What we're watching: Goodwill's a precious resource these next four years, amid military shakeups (already happening) and an atmosphere one executive pitched as "who knows what's next."
- Trump took keen interest in certain projects last time around and relishes the deal-making persona. Why would this term be any different?
- To quote Breaking Defense's Valerie Insinna: "If I were a gambler, my money would be on Trump interference on big-name aerospace projects," among other endeavors.
The bottom line: The "coming months and years are ripe with opportunity across industry," Lauren Bedula, a managing director at Beacon Global Strategies, told Axios.
- "Change is common in transitions, businesses should not panic but should instead double down on delivering exceptional support to" the U.S. government.
