In January 2025, a company linked to Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the UAE's national security adviser and a top royal, secretly acquired a 49% stake in World Liberty Financial, a cryptocurrency company tied to the Trump family, for $500 million. This deal channeled approximately $187 million to Trump family entities and $31 million to entities associated with Steve Witkoff's family, a special envoy for Donald Trump. World Liberty Financial counts Donald Trump and Steve Witkoff as co-founders emeritus, and its operations are managed by members of both families. A World Liberty spokesman confirmed the deal but stated that neither Trump nor Witkoff was involved in its negotiation, and denied that it granted access to government decision-making or policy influence.
This investment has triggered a significant backlash from Democrats in Washington, with some calling it "corruption in plain sight" and launching probes into the deal. Five months after the agreement, the US administration reversed a previous block and granted the UAE access to approximately 500,000 advanced AI chips annually, a move Sheikh Tahnoon had been seeking. A fifth of these chips were designated for Tahnoon's own AI company, G42. Notably, the Biden administration had previously restricted the export of these chips to the UAE due to concerns about potential diversion to China. Critics fear this unprecedented investment by a foreign government official in a company associated with an incoming US president creates a serious conflict of interest that could compromise US foreign policy.
World Liberty Financial also generates revenue through other means, including the sale of "governance tokens" that reportedly raised $2 billion last year, providing hundreds of millions of dollars to the Trumps through their World Liberty ownership and a separate side deal. Additionally, a UAE government fund invested in the offshore cryptocurrency exchange Binance using $2 billion worth of a stablecoin issued by World Liberty. This arrangement allowed the Trump company to invest these funds in safe assets like bonds, retaining tens of millions in interest. The founder of Binance, Changpeng Zhao, later received a pardon from Trump, despite having pleaded guilty to charges related to money laundering.
Financial analyses project substantial income for the Trump family from overseas real estate and other ventures during a potential second term in office. Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) estimates this could exceed $400 million, a substantial increase over the $140 million earned during his first term. The Trump Organization, now controlled by Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump, has expanded its reach into the Middle East, signing over a dozen agreements with UAE government entities worth more than $500 million in the past year alone. Licensing revenues, specifically from the use of the Trump name on properties, reportedly increased sevenfold between 2023 and 2024. Forbes estimates Donald Trump's net worth has increased by 60% since his return to office, now standing at approximately $6.3 billion.
