Airport Spa Parent Company Tied to Trump Family Lands Millions to Screen for Deadly Diseases

2026-11-09 politics

Washington, Monday, 9 November 2026.
Despite lacking global biosecurity experience, airport spa operator XWELL secured nearly $40 million to combat Ebola abroad shortly after Donald Trump’s sons gained an advisory stake in the firm.

A $40 Million Contract with No Relevant Experience

XpresTest, a subsidiary of XWELL, was awarded nearly $40 million in federal contracts in 2026 to screen for Ebola and other infectious diseases in U.S. airports and the Democratic Republic of Congo, despite having no prior experience with Ebola or biosecurity services abroad [1][2][8]. The State Department allocated $20 million in March 2026, followed by an $18.8 million grant from the CDC in June 2026 [1]. The company’s CEO, Ezra Ernst, admitted the endeavor was uncharted territory, stating, ‘This is a risky contract. I’m not sure we can do it’ [1]. Jeremy Konyndyk, a former U.S. government response overseer for the 2014 West Africa Ebola outbreak, questioned the decision, asking, ‘There are countless organizations in the world that have decades of experience doing this work. I have to wonder why the hell they’re not going with someone who has actually done this before’ [1].

Trump Family Ties Raise Ethical Concerns

The contracts awarded to XpresTest have drawn scrutiny due to the Trump family’s financial ties to XWELL. In February 2025, American Ventures, a fund launched by Dominari Holdings with offices in Trump Tower, invested approximately $30 million for a 10% stake in XWELL, hiring Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump as advisers with a stake exceeding 10% in Dominari [1]. While the Trump sons’ spokesperson stated they are private citizens who hold no government positions and broke no laws, concerns persist over potential conflicts of interest [1]. Anthony Hayes, CEO of Dominari Holdings, asserted that there is no evidence Don or Eric Trump used their family name to influence the granting of government contracts [1].

Political and Policy Shifts Preceded the Contracts

The Trump administration’s decision to award these contracts followed significant changes to U.S. global health policy. In 2025, the administration withdrew from the World Health Organization (WHO) and dismantled the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), scaling back the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) global presence [1]. These moves aligned with the launch of the ‘America First Global Health Strategy,’ which prioritized domestic interests over international cooperation [1]. Critics argue that these policy shifts may have contributed to the awarding of contracts to less experienced firms, such as XpresTest, while sidelining established organizations with decades of expertise in biosecurity and disease response [1].

Democratic Oversight and Pending Investigations

With Democrats having won control of both the Senate and House in the 2026 midterm elections, scrutiny of the Trump family’s financial ties to government contracts is expected to intensify [1]. Robert Garcia, the top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, condemned the contracts, stating, ‘When the government is corrupted for personal gain over the public interest, Americans lose trust and taxpayer dollars are wasted’ [1]. As of 9 November 2026, discussions about potential investigations into the awarding of these contracts are ongoing [1]. Meanwhile, XWELL has already benefited financially from the contracts, announcing plans in July 2026 to sell XpresTest and its spa line for $13 million to a private facial spa company, despite not performing the contracted work [1].

Sources

Federal procurement Biosecurity contracts