Trump announces $6.6bn defense shipyard owned by top Republican donor’s firm
Donald Trump announced a $6.6 billion shipyard project in Baltimore to be operated by Anduril Industries, a defense firm founded by GOP donor Palmer Luckey. The project aims to produce components for nuclear-powered submarines.
Why it matters
The project highlights the intersection of government defense spending, private industry, and political influence in the US defense sector.
Trump speaks in Baltimore on Tuesday. Photograph: Al Drago/UPI/Shutterstock Trump speaks in Baltimore on Tuesday. Photograph: Al Drago/UPI/Shutterstock Baltimore Trump announces $6.6bn defense shipyard owned by top Republican donor’s firm Baltimore project to be partly funded by US government but owned by defense firm Anduril, founded by Palmer Luckey
Prefer the Guardian on Google Donald Trump on Tuesday announced the opening of a new $6.6bn shipbuilding factory in Baltimore, partly funded by the US government but owned by Anduril Industries, a politically connected defense company.
Trump’s appearance at a currently unused shipyard in Sparrows Point is a boost to Anduril, whose founder, Palmer Luckey, is a major GOP campaign fundraiser. Luckey has hosted campaign fundraisers for at least 20 Republican politicians, including Trump, the Guardian reported in August. He has given $5.9m to Republican causes since 2017.
Get smarter about the news
Sign up free for a feed built around what you actually care about, Dive Deeper research on any story, and the full text of every article.
Create free accountAlready have an account? Sign in