Donald Trump Jr.’s 1789 Capital Bets Big on Polymarket With Multi-Million Dollar Stake

Donald Trump Jr. appears to be stepping into crypto prediction markets. His venture firm, 1789 Capital, just put money into Polymarket, the platform where people bet on outcomes of real-world events.

Along with the investment, he’s also joining the company’s advisory board.

Why Trump Jr. is backing Polymarket

1789 Capital has been circling Polymarket for over a year. Axios says the firm committed tens of millions of dollars after talks that stretched nearly 18 months. For Trump Jr., this isn’t just about writing a check, he’s also getting a seat at the table to help guide the project.

Polymarket (as you know) isn’t a small player. The platform lets people trade on events like elections, court rulings, and global conflicts.

During the last U.S. election cycle, users placed more than $8 billion in bets. That level of activity even put Polymarket ahead of big betting names like DraftKings and FanDuel when it came to web traffic.

The company recently raised another $200 million in a round led by Peter Thiel’s Founders Fund, pushing its valuation to $1 billion. With that kind of backing, and now Trump Jr. in the mix, Polymarket is starting to attract attention outside of crypto circles.

The bigger picture

Right now, Polymarket blocks U.S. users because of regulatory rules.

But it bought a derivatives exchange called QCEX, which has a license from the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC). That could open the door to a U.S.-compliant version down the line. If that happens, Polymarket could expand way beyond its current reach.

Prediction markets themselves are gaining traction because they often give a real-time sense of public sentiment. Unlike polls or pundits, markets move instantly when new information comes in. In politics especially, people watch them as early indicators before elections or rulings.

For Trump Jr., the deal also ties back to 1789 Capital’s mission of promoting “American dynamism.” It’s a phrase that pops up a lot in conservative venture circles, basically about backing domestic innovation and finance tools.

Whether Polymarket makes it into the U.S. market or not, the combination of big volumes, regulatory moves, and high-profile investors like Trump Jr. shows that prediction markets are becoming harder to ignore.

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