How Trump’s Trade War Created a $400 Million Pentagon Windfall

Shah Gilani|July 18, 2025

If you were waiting for another flashing green signal that the U.S. government is finally waking up to its vulnerabilities in the global supply chain, here it is…

The Department of Defense is writing a $400 million check to MP Materials (MP).

That’s not a loan. It’s not a grant. It’s an equity stake.

Washington is doing what Beijing has done for decades – picking winners and backing them with cold, hard cash.

The Pentagon just planted a flag in the rare earth minerals sector. For investors with eyes open and capital ready, this is more than a one-off industrial policy headline.

This is a clarion call.

MP Materials owns and operates the Mountain Pass mine in California – America’s only rare earth mining and processing facility.

Until now, the U.S. has been dangerously dependent on China for processing rare earths. MP Materials’ stake is about reversing that dependency.

But this isn’t just a play on rare earths…

This is the United States of America playing China’s own industrial game, openly.

Playing Hardball

For decades, Beijing has controlled rare earth supply not just through its mineral deposits, but by aggressively subsidizing its companies, cornering global processing capacity, and undercutting competition.

The irony here is thick.

While President Trump has spent years hammering China – and others – for using government subsidies, tariffs, and industrial planning to gain strategic advantage, now we’re doing it too.

Trump, love him or hate him, has been telling everyone since before his first election that America needs to play hardball when its national interests are at stake.

The DOD’s move with MP Materials is a prime example of that vision taking root.

If you think this is a one-and-done deal, think again. The Department of Defense doesn’t just toss $400 million into a company for fun.

This is about de-risking national security. When that kind of priority gets funding, it signals to institutional investors – and smaller retail investors alike – that U.S. equities in this space have tailwinds that aren’t going away.

MP Materials shares have been under pressure the past year as China flooded markets to push prices of rare earth elements down. Standard operating procedure. That’s how China plays.

But with the U.S. government stepping in as a financial backer, MP now has a war chest to expand production, upgrade processing capabilities, and weather any commodity price manipulations Beijing throws its way.

For MP shareholders, this could translate to several things…

• Stabilized revenue streams as government contracts and defense orders materialize.
• Long-term growth as EV adoption scales up globally and supply chains seek non-Chinese rare earth sources.
• Higher valuation multiples as Wall Street factors in sovereign backing and reduced risk.

Let’s be clear though – this doesn’t make MP Materials bulletproof.

Government involvement can slow down decision-making. Political priorities can shift. Rare earth pricing is still volatile. But investors now have an asymmetric edge here. MP Materials isn’t just another mining company anymore. It’s a strategic U.S. asset.

This should wake up every investor paying attention to the bigger picture.

Picking Winners

The U.S. government is no longer shy about industrial policy. From semiconductors with the CHIPS Act, to energy storage and EV subsidies, and now rare earth minerals – Washington is picking winners.

That is not what free-market purists want to hear. But the markets don’t care about ideology – they care about flows, catalysts, and backing.

We are now in an era where American equities will increasingly benefit from government tailwinds – if you’re smart enough to position yourself in the right sectors, including…

• National defense equities
• Energy transition plays
• Infrastructure buildout names
• Rare earths and critical minerals

Investors should be looking for stocks that are directly tied to these emerging U.S. industrial priorities.

MP Materials is one. But so are other names in the rare earths and critical materials space.

The real opportunity here is understanding that Trump’s tariffs and trade war policies weren’t some one-off shock strategy.

They were about forcing America to realize it needed to fight back with its own subsidies, investments, and industrial planning.

That’s what’s unfolding now.

And we’ll look for ways to profit along the way.