Anduril says Trump’s Taiwan arms sales delay is hurting its business

Anduril founder Palmer Luckey claims President Donald Trump's hesitation to greenlight a $14 billion arms deal for Taiwan is impacting the company's operations there, according to Reuters. Luckey, who addressed a defense forum in Taipei alongside Taiwan President Lai Ching-te, expressed uncertainty about the package's current status, which has been on hold for months.

He noted that if the deal were advancing, his company's position in Taiwan would be markedly different, although he did not specify which projects might be delayed. Trump's decision to withhold the package stemmed from his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing in May, when he referred to the arms sales as a valuable negotiation tool.

Xi is scheduled to meet with Trump in Washington next week, with Taiwan anticipated to be a key topic. Anduril already provides its Altius drone to Taiwan, and last year, Taiwan unveiled the Barracuda-500, an autonomous, low-cost cruise missile set to become the island's first missile jointly produced with a U.S. company. Luckey stated that the delay's impact extends beyond individual contracts, as the stalled approval is also hindering progress in other areas.

He has conversed with Trump, Vice President JD Vance, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio about the Taiwan arms sales, as reported by Reuters. Luckey informed that the administration is evaluating the potential economic repercussions of further weapons sales, including the possibility that Beijing could leverage its control over rare earth supplies vital to U.S. technology firms.

China, which asserts ownership over Taiwan, has consistently opposed U.S. arms shipments to the island and has imposed sanctions on American companies involved in arming Taipei. Taiwan rejects Beijing's sovereignty assertions. Luckey himself faced a sanction from China in December due to his arms sales to Taiwan. The White House has not yet commented on the matter to Reuters.