Trump: ‘Didn’t Know’ About $500M Abu Dhabi Bet On WLFI

bitcoinistОпубліковано о 2026-02-03Востаннє оновлено о 2026-02-03

Анотація

Former US President Donald Trump stated he was unaware of a $500 million investment from an Abu Dhabi royal family member into World Liberty Financial (WLFI), a crypto venture linked to his family. He deferred responsibility to his sons, claiming he focuses solely on geopolitical matters. The investment, reportedly made just before Trump took office, has raised concerns about potential conflicts of interest, especially after his administration later approved advanced AI chip sales to the UAE. WLFI denied any influence on government decisions. The controversy deepened as Abu Dhabi entities used WLFI's stablecoin for a separate $2 billion transaction with Binance, intensifying scrutiny over foreign capital's proximity to the president's family business.

US President Donald Trump said he was unaware of the $500 million investment by an Abu Dhabi royal into World Liberty Financial, pushing responsibility to his sons as questions mount over foreign money, crypto rails, and US policy decisions.

Asked at the White House on Feb. 2 about a The Wall Street Journal report that the Abu Dhabi royal family invested “hundreds of millions of dollars” into the Trump-linked venture, Trump flatly denied knowledge and framed the operation as a family-run side project.

“Well, I don’t know about it. I know that crypto is a big thing and they like it. A lot of people like it,” Trump said. “The people behind me like it. My sons are handling that. My family is handling it. And I guess they get investments from different people. But I’m not.” He then pivoted to geopolitics: “I have all I can handle right now with Iran and with Russia and Ukraine and with all the things we’re doing.”

Trump says he knows nothing about the $500M Abu Dhabi investment in his family’s WLFI crypto project.

“I don’t know about it... my family is handling it.” pic.twitter.com/sBEfXO1FCK

— TFTC (@TFTC21) February 2, 2026

Why The Trump Deal Raises Questions

The denial lands amid a fast-building paper trail around World Liberty Financial’s cap table and its ties to Gulf-linked capital. According to the report, a firm associated with Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed Al Nahyan, an Abu Dhabi royal tied to the emirate’s state investment machinery, acquired roughly 49% of World Liberty Financial in a deal valued at about $500 million, with documents reviewed by the Journal indicating the agreement was struck just days before Trump took office.

The report also describes why the timing is politically combustible: months after the reported stake purchase, the Trump administration moved ahead with supplying the United Arab Emirates with advanced US-made AI chips despite prior concerns about diversion risks to China, intensifying the perception that business and statecraft are entangled.

World Liberty Financial, for its part, has rejected the suggestion that any government action was influenced by the investment. A spokesperson said that neither Trump nor Steve Witkoff was involved in the transaction and called claims tying it to the chips decision “100% false,” while White House counsel said the president has no involvement in business deals that would implicate his constitutional responsibilities.

The controversy has a second, crypto-native layer: the same Abu Dhabi orbit has already shown it is willing to use World Liberty-linked instruments as settlement rails. Abu Dhabi-backed MGX used World Liberty’s dollar-pegged stablecoin (USD1) to settle a $2 billion investment into Binance, a deal publicly discussed by World Liberty co-founder Zach Witkoff at TOKEN2049 in Dubai.

That combination has given critics an easy narrative hook: foreign state-linked capital gaining proximity to a US president’s family business while policy decisions affecting the same country move through Washington.

At press time, WLFI traded at $0.13.

WLFI holds above the 0.236 Fib, 1-week chart | Source: WLFIUSDT on TradingView.com

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Пов'язані питання

QWhat did President Trump claim about the $500 million Abu Dhabi investment in World Liberty Financial?

APresident Trump claimed he was unaware of the $500 million investment, stating that his sons and family were handling the business and that he had no knowledge of it.

QAccording to the report, which Abu Dhabi royal family member's firm was involved in the investment?

AAccording to the report, a firm associated with Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed Al Nahyan, an Abu Dhabi royal, acquired roughly 49% of World Liberty Financial.

QWhy is the timing of the investment and a subsequent US policy decision considered politically sensitive?

AThe timing is considered politically sensitive because the investment was reportedly made just days before Trump took office, and months later, his administration approved supplying advanced US-made AI chips to the UAE, raising concerns about a connection between business dealings and government policy.

QHow has World Liberty Financial's stablecoin been used by Abu Dhabi-linked entities?

AAbu Dhabi-backed MGX used World Liberty's dollar-pegged stablecoin (USD1) to settle a $2 billion investment into the cryptocurrency exchange Binance.

QWhat was the trading price of WLFI at the time the article was published?

AAt press time, WLFI was trading at $0.13.

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