A New York Times investigation details how Donald Trump’s sons and Howard Lutnick’s sons are connected to Kaz Resources’ planned tungsten mine in Kazakhstan—after the US government cut a major mining deal and earmarked at least $1.6 billion for the company. Tu
When the US government moved to secure tungsten supplies for the Pentagon and the broader critical-minerals push, it also made room for a Kazakh mining deal that—according to a New York Times investigation—ties back to Donald Trump’s family businesses and Howard Lutnick’s network.
Eric Trump and Donald Trump Jr. are linked, directly or indirectly, to Kaz Resources, the company planning to break ground on a tungsten mine in Kazakhstan. The connection runs through deals involving tungsten itself—an element that has come to matter more as China imposed export restrictions on it in 2025. Tungsten is used in missile warheads, fighter jets, and computer chips.
The US government recently cut a massive mining deal for the critical mineral with the government of Kazakhstan. whose leader has said Donald Trump was “sent by Heaven.” Kaz Resources is slated to receive at least $1.6 billion in government funding. and it is the same company tied to Trump’s sons and to Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick’s sons—Brandon and Kyle—who are also described as being connected to the project.
The Kazakh deal was signed on November 6, and it did not disclose the Trump or Lutnick families’ involvement. That omission has become central to the controversy, particularly because tungsten sourcing has grown more urgent. Since China’s export restrictions in 2025. onshore US tungsten mining has fallen out of reach: no onshore mines are currently operational. and they likely won’t be for a long time.
Within that gap, the Pentagon has selected contractors to build small tungsten refineries on US military bases. At the same time, officials have been looking overseas for mining and processing—an approach that can turn global supply agreements into lucrative, high-stakes partnerships.
The investigation adds another layer of breadth: at least 14 different companies affiliated with one or both families are actively working with the federal government on critical mining deals. The concern is less about a single business relationship than about how far the web extends as the federal government seeks new sources of minerals.
Paul Sonne and Eric Lipton of the Times wrote that Eric Trump. Donald Trump Jr. Brandon Lutnick. and Kyle Lutnick were “doing business with partners in a deal that their fathers were negotiating. ” and that it reflects “a pattern of self-enrichment in the second Trump administration that has few precedents in American history.”.
Kaz Resources’ CEO Pini Althaus pushed back on the emphasis on optics. “I can see how the optics might be disturbing to some people,” he said. “But that’s unfortunate because this company and this project goes way beyond any one president, let alone any family.”
The pressure point in the story is timing—what happened on paper when the deal was signed and what is connected once the full network comes into view. The government’s tungsten push is happening because access has tightened. and the Pentagon’s plans are built around refineries at military bases and expansion overseas. In that environment. the question is not whether tungsten is strategic—everyone agrees it is—but whether the structure of federal deals leaves room for undisclosed family entanglements at precisely the moment the minerals arms race is heating up.
Trump sons Kazakhstan tungsten mine Kaz Resources Howard Lutnick critical minerals Pentagon tungsten refineries China export restrictions 2025 US government funding
So we’re just handing over billions to buddies again?
I don’t even get it. Tungsten is like phone stuff right? But suddenly it’s missiles and Pentagon? Sounds like the article is saying family is in the mix somehow, which is… yeah.
Wait, so they cut a deal with Kazakhstan but still gave $1.6 billion? That part feels backwards. Also Kazakhstan leader saying Trump was “sent by Heaven”??? Like okay that’s wild but doesn’t that mean it’s more political than business? Idk, I’m lost.
Honestly this is just the same old thing, insiders get the money and everyone pretends it’s for national security. The article keeps saying tungsten tied to Trump’s sons and Lutnick’s sons, but I’m guessing it’s like a shell company situation or something. Plus China’s export restrictions in 2025 like that’s convenient timing too. If there were no onshore mines, why not just build them instead of funding this specific project? Seems sus.