Trump Jr. advises and invests in both Polymarket and Kalshi
Donald Trump Jr. serves as an adviser to both Polymarket and Kalshi while his venture capital firm 1789 Capital holds a major investment in Polymarket, tying a prominent political figure and his investment vehicle directly to the two leading prediction-market platforms. The dual roles place Trump Jr. behind both companies as they confront state gambling regulators and compete for market share. Kalshi separately has backed a prediction markets lobby group alongside a former Trump administration official, though terms and identities were not detailed. The overlapping Trump family connections arrive as both platforms navigate regulatory scrutiny, pursue league partnerships, and race to secure distribution deals ahead of the NFL season.
Kalshi and Polymarket now share the same Trump family adviser while competing for federal preemption wins against state bans, forcing both platforms to coordinate—or clash—on a unified lobbying strategy that the Minnesota litigation shows the CFTC cannot easily manage alone.
Joins Kalshi's record $1.2 billion Series F, its PrizePicks distribution deal, and the NHL integrity pact as the latest move tightening the platform's Washington connections while Polymarket relies on the same Trump family adviser to push its competing federal preemption strategy against state bans.