FOLLOW US

Trump Media to merge with TAE in a sweeping all-stock transaction valued at $6 billion, a deal the companies say would vault fusion energy into public markets and reshape the future of power generation.

Announced Thursday, the agreement pairs Trump Media and Technology Group, operator of the Truth Social platform, with TAE Technologies, a privately held company that has spent more than two decades chasing the promise of fusion — the same reaction that fuels the sun.

A Rare Fusion Play Goes Public

If completed, the merger would create one of the first publicly traded fusion energy companies, turning a long-theorized energy source into a Wall Street story. The deal is expected to close in mid-2026, with shareholders of each company owning roughly 50% of the combined entity.

The transaction is being guided by DLA Piper (U.S.) LLP for Trump Media and Baker Botts LLP for TAE.

Cash, Stock and a Commercial Push

Under the terms, Trump Media has agreed to contribute up to $200 million in cash at signing, with an additional $100 million available after regulatory filings. Trump Media said its balance sheet would help accelerate TAE’s push from experimental reactors to commercial reality.

Following the merger, Trump Media will become the holding company for its media platforms alongside TAE’s fusion, power systems and life sciences businesses.

From the Sun to the Grid

TAE says it has built and operated five experimental reactors and plans to begin construction in 2026 on what it calls the world’s first utility-scale fusion power plant. The initial facility is expected to generate about 50 megawatts, enough electricity to supply tens of thousands of homes, with larger plants planned down the line.

Fusion power works by fusing atomic nuclei — a process that promises vast energy with none of the long-lived radioactive waste or meltdown risks associated with conventional nuclear plants. The challenge: no fusion project has yet proven itself at commercial scale.

TAE is not alone in the race. Companies such as Commonwealth Fusion Systems are also developing reactors and targeting grid-connected facilities in the coming decade.

Leadership and Vision

The combined company will be led by co-chief executives: Trump Media CEO Devin Nunes and TAE CEO Michl Binderbauer.

“Fusion power will be the most dramatic energy breakthrough since the onset of commercial nuclear energy in the 1950s,” Nunes said in the announcement, framing the deal as a marriage of capital access and advanced energy technology.

Binderbauer said the company is eager to move from theory to terrain. “We’re excited to identify our first site and begin deploying this revolutionary technology that we expect to fundamentally transform America’s energy supply,” he said.

Deep Funding, Broader Ambitions

TAE has raised more than $1.3 billion in private funding from heavyweight investors including Google, Chevron Technology Ventures and Goldman Sachs.

Beyond fusion, the company operates businesses focused on power systems for data centers and electric vehicles, as well as a life sciences division developing cancer therapies.

Governance After the Deal

The post-merger board will include nine directors, drawn from both companies, with five independent members yet to be named.

The Baker Botts advisory team includes partners Travis Wofford, Sarah Dodson, Andrew Schulte, Danny David, Richard Harper, John Lawrence, Hugh Hollman, Brendan Quigley, George Fibbe, Michael Bresson, Paul Morico, Ron Aizen, Paul Luther and Ted Posner. DLA Piper’s deal team details were not immediately available.

As Trump Media to merge with TAE moves toward completion, the agreement stands as a high-voltage wager — blending politics, media and a moonshot technology that aims to bottle the power of the sun.