The Man Who Knows Too Much

How Gentry Beach turned a college friendship with Donald Trump Jr. into a three-decade grift—and why their "mutually destructive" bond means neither can walk away.

The WhatsApp messages started arriving at foreign ministries sometime around January. A Texas investor named Gentry Beach was making the rounds—Islamabad, Dhaka, Kinshasa, Abu Dhabi—and he wanted everyone to know he was close to the Trump family. Very close. There were photos. There were texts with Don Jr. There was that memorable quote about having information that was “mutually destructive.” And billions of dollars in deals to discuss.

By autumn 2025, as Beach continued his globe-trotting bonanza of promises, Donald Trump Jr. had finally had enough. In August, his lawyers fired off a cease-and-desist letter with a simple message: Stop using my name. Beach claims he never received it. The Wall Street Journal says they’ve seen text messages where he acknowledged receipt. It’s the kind of he-said-he-said that would be comic if it weren’t so utterly on-brand for the Trump orbit, where loyalty is currency until it becomes liability, and old friends become inconvenient faster than you can …