Trump Media & Technology Group (TMTG) has announced a $6 billion merger with nuclear fusion company TAE Technologies, bringing together the media business linked to former US president Donald Trump and a firm focused on next-generation energy production.
Under the deal, shareholders of TMTG and TAE Technologies will each hold around 50 percent of the combined company once the transaction is completed. The merger is expected to close by the middle of next year.
Trump, through a trust managed by his son Donald Trump Jr, remains the largest shareholder in TMTG. Following the announcement, shares in Trump Media, which owns the social media platform Truth Social, jumped by around 35 percent in early trading.
Nuclear fusion produces energy by combining atoms, mirroring the process used by the sun. According to the International Atomic Energy Agency, fusion fuel sources are “plentiful and easily accessible” and “are not expected to produce high activity or long-lived nuclear waste”. However, while fusion has been achieved in controlled environments, it has not yet been deployed at commercial scale, and there are currently no operational commercial fusion reactors.
TAE Technologies stated that it has “built and safely operated five fusion reactors”, although these are research reactors used to support the company’s long-term goal of commercial fusion. Many experts remain cautious about how soon fusion could become a practical energy source.
Interest in fusion technology has grown in recent years as global energy demand rises, partly driven by the expansion of artificial intelligence. Google, which operates the Gemini AI chatbot, is among TAE Technologies’ investors.
As part of the merger, Devin Nunes, chairman and chief executive of TMTG, will take on the role of co-chief executive of the combined business, alongside TAE CEO and director Michl Binderbauer. The new company will be overseen by a nine-member board, including Nunes, Binderbauer and Donald Trump Jr.
The merged entity plans to begin construction of its first utility-scale nuclear fusion power plant in 2026, according to the announcement.
