Trump Media's Nuclear Bet Is Riding The 'Manhattan Project' Trade

Benzinga · 1d ago

Investors piling into Trump Media & Technology Group Corp (NASDAQ:DJT) stock aren't reacting to a social media story. They're reacting to a much bigger macro theme: power. As artificial intelligence scales, electricity — not chips — is emerging as the next hard constraint. That's the trade DJT's fusion tie-up is suddenly plugged into.

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Donald Trump-owned Trump Media, the parent of Truth Social, recently announced plans to merge with fusion startup TAE Technologies in a deal that could be valued at up to $6 billion. TAE aims to begin construction of its fusion power plant in 2026 — an aggressive timeline that has drawn skepticism. But markets aren't pricing certainty. They're pricing optionality.

AI Is Driving The Power Narrative

Daniel Newman, CEO of The Futurum Group, speaking to Yahoo Finance, explained why energy has become central to the AI investment debate. AI demand alone, he said, could drive "something like 130 gigawatts, maybe as much as 150 gigawatts of demand just by the end of the decade," roughly 10% to 15% of total electricity load.

More importantly, "peak load on AI is going to be pulling from the grid all the time," Newman said — a structural challenge for aging power infrastructure.

Why Fusion Is Back In The Conversation

Fusion's appeal isn't just theoretical. Newman noted that fusion faces a very different regulatory path than traditional nuclear. "This is clean nuclear with no risk of a meltdown," he said, adding that approvals may involve "a lot less red tape, more like heavy industrial manufacturing builds, as opposed to traditional nuclear approvals."

That regulatory framing helps explain why speculation is moving early. "Once this happens, it's going to have run away from you," Newman said, calling fusion a potential "10, 100 plus X opportunity" if milestones are met.

The Manhattan Project Framing

Newman summed up the stakes bluntly: "This is the United States Manhattan Project." While Asia races ahead in advanced manufacturing, he argued, "where we've fallen behind is power."

For DJT traders, that's the signal. This isn't about fusion timelines yet — it's about exposure to one of the most urgent unsolved problems of the AI era.

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