Former Republican Congressman and Cal Poly alumni Devin Nunes opened a wine tasting business, Nunes Wine Company, in Pismo Beach in July of this year.
The business venture follows his resignation as the CEO of Trump Media & Technology Group in April.
Nunes attended Cal Poly as a transfer student from the College of the Sequoias and graduated from Cal Poly with a master’s in agriculture in 1996.
At 23, he became one of the youngest community college trustees in California history. In this position, he helped guide decision—making for California community colleges.
After he was elected to Congress, he spent nearly two decades representing parts of the San Joaquin Valley.
Nunes became CEO of Trump Media & Technology Group in January 2022, leading to his departure from Congress.
The company owns Truth Social, a social media app created by President Trump after he was banned from multiple platforms following the Jan. 6 Capitol riots.
Nunes remained the CEO of the company for four years. The press release did not clarify why he left the business.
“I feel like there’s two different sides: people would either really not want to support him, or they’d want to support him because they favor Trump,” said Ella Kellermann, an environmental protection and management freshman. “It’s a two-sided coin.”
Nunes Wine Company
The Nunes Wine Company specializes in Portuguese and Bordeaux wines. Nunes collaborated with Cal Poly alumni Mike Sinor, the co-founder of Ancient Peaks Winery in Santa Margarita, to create the wines.
They began developing the wines in 2023 while the tasting room opened this July. The most recent wine release was the 2023 Vintage Collection.
The Nunes Winery Company is preparing for its sixth vintage with new releases planned for this November, according to the team.
“Devin grew up among grape vineyards on his family farm in Tulare County,” the Nunes Wine Company team wrote in an email to Mustang News. “He later became a founding partner in several small California wineries and vineyards, which heightened his interest in the winegrowing process.”
Nunes leans into his political past with wines like the 2023 Patriot Cabernet Sauvignon, a Bordeaux—styled wine with an American flag adorning the bottle.
“Devin’s background in farming strongly influenced his service in Congress, where he became a prominent advocate for increasing the water supply to Central Valley farmers,” the team said.
“I feel like there’s two different sides: people would either really not want to support him or they’d want to support him because they favor Trump. It’s a two-sided coin,”
Ella Kellermann, environmental protection and management freshman
Molly McBride, an environmental earth and soil sciences freshman, weighs the idea of the former politician operating a business out of the neighboring town.
“If he is just focused on the wine and selling it and just putting his career focus on this new winery, then I feel like it would probably be okay, but if he’s trying to use his past as publicity, then maybe not,” McBride said.
Truth Social and Truth API
Truth Social was created as an alternative social media platform for “free speech and fighting back against harsh censorship from big tech,” according to the company’s mission statement.
The site planned to expand past social media and into streaming services. They claimed to eventually be bigger than Netflix with options to stream family-friendly content.
By the end of June 2026, the site experienced a reported net loss of $238.1 million.
Kevin McGurn, adviser to Trump Media and former executive at Hulu, was appointed as interim CEO after Nunes left the company.
Since McGurn took the position, the company announced Truth API, where subscribers can pay up to $100,000 a month for quicker access to the “highest ranking Truth Social accounts.”
These officials include, but are not limited to, the White House Deputy Chief of Staff Dan Scavino, FBI Director Kash Patel and Vice President JD Vance.
According to Business Insider, Truth API subscribers receive market-altering information that can impact stock trading before other Truth Social consumers.
The Intercept and Freedom of the Press Foundation are suing President Trump and Truth Social.
Plaintiffs voiced concerns about potential insider trading with the Truth API business model. They claim that the business model goes against First and Fifth Amendment rights.
The First Amendment prevents the government from regulating public service announcements. Truth Social’s paywall violates the First Amendment because paying users will get access to high-ranking users’ statements before the general public.
In 2024, an agreement was signed by President Trump with Trump Media that included a “Social Media 6-Hour Exclusive.”
Any social media communications must be made on Truth Social first and not be reposted on another platform for six hours.
The Fifth Amendment prevents the government from placing “unfair” restrictions or conditions on public resources.
The prosecution argues Truth Social violates the Fifth Amendment because it creates a financial barrier to information.
“I don’t feel like it’s really ethical for someone in leadership in government to operate any form of business whatsoever; I feel like that should bar you from any type of trading,” said Elliot Lopez, an interdisciplinary studies junior.
Nunes continues to remain in politics as the chairman of the President’s Intelligence Advisory Board, where he advises the president on security challenges for the country.
This story originally appeared in the September printed edition of Mustang News. Check out more stories from the issue here.