Gentry Beach, a Texas investor who has described Donald Trump Jr. as a college friend, is back in the headlines after the Financial Times and New York Times on October 23 and 24 reported on Polar LNG, an Alaska gas startup whose former chief executive says Russia’s Novatek was financing and steering it. Beach is not accused of wrongdoing in that reporting. The sources that mention him mostly say what he did not do.
Where it stands: Joel Riddle, Polar LNG’s former CEO, told the FT he originally believed Beach was a backer, and then concluded that Beach “had not invested in the company and was neither a shareholder nor a director,” as Business Standard summarized the FT account. In the Times account, summarized by Raw Story, Novatek said Beach had nothing to do with its negotiations over taking a stake, and a spokesman for Trump Jr. described the two men as no longer close. As of October 26, no comment from Beach on the October reports had appeared in the coverage reviewed here.
The companies at the center of the story deny the main allegation. Polar LNG called Riddle “a disgruntled former employee” who was “fired for cause”; Riddle says he resigned, and according to the NYT, records it obtained show his resignation came almost a week ahead of the firm’s termination notice. Polar LNG said its “development activities are being pursued in full compliance with applicable U.S. laws.” Novatek acknowledges an April MOU with the operating company and says it is seeking minority-shareholder status, while rejecting claims of hidden control. Business Standard noted that no U.S. authority “has publicly established that the alleged financing constituted a sanctions violation.” The full allegation and every response are laid out in our main report on the Novatek Alaska story.
Gentry Beach and the February Novatek agreement
Beach’s Alaska plans became public on February 20, when Reuters, citing the New York Times, reported that he had signed an agreement with Novatek “last autumn” to develop natural gas in Alaska. According to Reuters, he told the Times the project “was in its early stages and faced significant hurdles,” and he declined to disclose financial terms.
Novatek’s response at the time was narrower than Beach’s account. It told the newspaper it was “indeed having negotiations on the potential use” of its gas-liquefaction technology in northern Alaska, but, per Reuters, “it did not confirm that it was working with Beach.”
The Barents Observer, a Norway-based Arctic news outlet, added detail from the Times interview: Beach said he negotiated the deal with Novatek chief executive Leonid Mikhelson “during meetings in Dubai and Europe last fall.” Beach also “stressed that his relationship with the Trump family played no role in securing the agreement,” the outlet wrote, while telling the Times that “this project is known about at the highest levels” in Moscow and Washington. He called Mikhelson “very pro-American.”
Polar Eagle, in Beach’s own words
On March 3, the Anchorage Daily News published an interview in which Beach described his plan. He said a company he owns, America First LNG, was developing a project called Polar Eagle that would liquefy North Slope gas on site and ship it to Asia, partly on ice-breaking tankers. He said the plant would use Novatek-developed technology but would be “a U.S.-controlled facility on U.S. soils.”
Beach gave the paper a price tag of $20 billion for the full build-out and said a first unit could produce LNG “as early as 2029, at about 7.5 million tons annually.” He said Polar Eagle would not compete with the state-backed Alaska LNG pipeline project, which ADN noted “has long been estimated to cost $44 billion.” Asked about U.S. sanctions on Novatek, he told ADN they “would not affect the plan.”
Alaska analysts were doubtful. Larry Persily, a former federal gas line coordinator, told ADN he did not expect the project to be built and saw sanctions as a major obstacle: “He’ll have a hard time selling it.” Beach’s reply: “I love people telling me I can’t do something.”
On the Trump connection, ADN reported that Beach said he has social relationships with the family “but does not do business with them.”
What each source says about Beach and Polar LNG
Beach’s Polar Eagle and the company now called Polar LNG are not the same thing in the reporting, and the record on his role has shifted. The names add to the confusion: Polar LNG’s October 23 statement identifies Tim Talkington as president of “Polar Eagle LNG,” which Bloomberg described as the parent company. None of the coverage reviewed here sets out how, or whether, Beach’s Polar Eagle plan is legally tied to Polar Eagle LNG.
| When | What was said about Beach | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Feb. 2026 | Beach says he signed a Novatek deal; Novatek does not confirm working with him | NYT via Reuters |
| Mar. 2026 | Beach describes Polar Eagle, his own North Slope plan | ADN |
| Late Mar. 2026 | Riddle names Beach as “one investor” in Polar LNG | Reuters |
| Oct. 2026 | Riddle says he learned Beach never invested and held no board seat | FT via Business Standard |
| Oct. 2026 | Novatek says Beach was not part of its equity negotiations | NYT via Raw Story |
The change in Riddle’s account is on the record. At Polar LNG’s launch, Reuters quoted him: “Gentry Beach, a friend of Donald Trump Jr, is one investor in the project, Riddle said. Beach did not immediately respond to a request for comment.” In October he told the FT that he “initially understood the project to be financed by American investor Gentry Beach and Abu Dhabi-based Tech Wave,” and later found otherwise. Riddle’s specific claims and the company’s rebuttal are covered in our article on Joel Riddle’s account; who actually funds the venture is in our piece on Tech Wave and Polar LNG funding.
Trump ties: the inauguration, the campaign and a cease-and-desist
Beach’s links to the Trump orbit are documented mostly through other outlets’ reporting. ADN, citing the NYT, said he “served as finance vice chairman for Trump’s 2017 inauguration.” Reuters described him as chairman and chief executive of America First Global and said he “helped raise funds for Trump’s election campaign in 2016.”
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In October 2025, the Wall Street Journal published a long profile, which is paywalled; the details below come from outlets that quoted it. The Daily Beast summarized the Journal as reporting that Beach “has toured no less than 20 countries, leveraging his connections in pursuit of multi-billion dollar deals with presidents, prime ministers and foreign ministers.” Raw Story quoted the Journal describing Beach as “a groomsman at Trump Jr.’s 2005 wedding” who had traveled to Islamabad to meet Pakistan’s prime minister.
The same Journal passage, as quoted by Raw Story, reported a rift: “In August, Trump Jr.’s lawyer sent a cease-and-desist letter to Beach to stop representing himself as a business partner of Trump Jr. Beach denied ever receiving or seeing the letter.” The Journal also reported that Trump Jr. declined to comment, and that when foreign officials raised Beach with him, he “rejected the inquiries and said he wasn’t doing business with Beach.”
The Pakistan trip was covered at the time. In January 2025, Arab News reported that Beach led a U.S. business delegation to Islamabad and said, “Real estate’s going to be our first place of investment, it’s going to be a significant real estate investment.”
What no source alleges
None of the reporting reviewed here alleges that Gentry Beach broke any law or sanctions rule. Riddle’s allegation is directed at Novatek’s alleged role in financing and steering Polar LNG, and every company named denies it. No source reviewed reports that Beach, Trump Jr. or any other member of the Trump family holds a stake in Polar LNG. The NYT, as Raw Story reported, also found “no indication” that the president’s envoys, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, were aware of the startup’s Novatek connections.
The sanctions backdrop is why any Novatek deal draws scrutiny. In a November 2023 release, the State Department designated the company that operates Arctic LNG 2, which it described as “a flagship LNG project of the major Russian natural gas company Novatek.” The same release noted that “On September 12, 2014, Novatek was added to OFAC’s Sectoral Sanctions Identifications List.” That listing restricts certain financing rather than barring all business with the company; the difference is explained in our guide to Novatek sanctions. As of October 26, no regulator had publicly addressed any arrangement between Beach and Novatek.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Gentry Beach?
Gentry Beach is a Texas investor who leads America First Global and has described Donald Trump Jr. as a college friend. ADN, citing the New York Times, reported he was a finance vice chairman for the 2017 Trump inauguration. In February 2026 he said he had signed an agreement with Russia’s Novatek on Alaska gas.
Did Gentry Beach invest in Polar LNG?
Former CEO Joel Riddle named Beach as an investor in March 2026, but told the Financial Times in October that he later learned Beach had not invested and was neither a shareholder nor a director. Novatek told the New York Times that Beach was not involved in its negotiations to buy into the venture.
Is Gentry Beach accused of breaking sanctions?
No. None of the reporting reviewed accuses Beach of violating sanctions or any law. The allegation in the October reports concerns Novatek’s alleged financing of Polar LNG, which Polar LNG, Novatek and Tech Wave deny, and no U.S. authority has publicly found a violation.
What did Donald Trump Jr. say about Gentry Beach?
The Wall Street Journal reported in October 2025 that Trump Jr.’s lawyer sent Beach a cease-and-desist letter in August 2025 to stop presenting himself as a business partner; Beach denied receiving it. In October 2026 a Trump Jr. spokesman told the New York Times the two are no longer close.
What is Polar Eagle?
Polar Eagle is the name Beach gave ADN in March 2026 for his plan to liquefy North Slope gas with Novatek-developed technology, at a cost he put at $20 billion. Polar Eagle LNG is also the name of the parent company of Polar LNG, according to Polar LNG and Bloomberg; the reporting does not establish how the two relate.
Sources
- Top executives quit $25 bn US gas project over alleged Russian control — Business Standard, October 25, 2026
- Whistleblower CEO quits over hidden Russian cash behind gas deal in Trump peace talks: NYT — Raw Story, October 24, 2026
- Polar LNG Announces Leadership Change and Outlines Vision for Alaska North Slope Development — Polar LNG (company statement), October 23, 2026
- Alaska LNG export terminal got funding from Russia’s sanctioned Novatek before US nod—FT report — ThePrint (Bloomberg wire), October 24, 2026
- Trump ally ties up with Russia’s Novatek on natural gas in Alaska, NYT reports — Reuters (via WHBL), February 20, 2026
- US investor with ties to Trump family looks to Murmansk — The Barents Observer, February 23, 2026
- Texas investor with Trump family ties pursues project to tap North Slope gas — Anchorage Daily News, March 3, 2026
- Planned LNG plant in Alaska seeks equipment from sanctioned Russia firm — Reuters (via Eye on the Arctic), April 1, 2026
- ‘Frustrated’: Donald Trump Jr. raging over friend with ‘destructive information’ about him — Raw Story (citing the Wall Street Journal), October 5, 2025
- Donald Trump Jr. Clashes With Rogue Buddy Gentry Beach For Playing Diplomat — The Daily Beast (citing the Wall Street Journal), October 5, 2025
- Texas investor close to Trump eyes investments in Pakistan housing, energy, mineral sectors — Arab News, January 29, 2025
- Taking Additional Sweeping Measures Against Russia — U.S. Department of State, November 2, 2023
This article is news reporting and analysis based on the public sources listed above, as they stood on the dates shown. Where officials, lawmakers or analysts disagree, including on whether an action is lawful, their positions are attributed to them; Donald Trump Class Action is not a court and nothing here is legal advice. Facts in a developing story can change.