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Regulation & Policy · 2 min read

Trump Denies Knowledge of World Liberty Financial Amid Scrutiny Over UAE Ties

The US president defended his family's crypto stake following midterm elections, stating he knows 'nothing' about the firm's $500 million deal with a UAE-backed investor.

Editorial oversight: Julian Mercer, Chief Editor
Bearish
$WLFI $0.0462 −0.6%

At a glance

What happened
President Trump stated in an interview that he knows 'nothing' about World Liberty Financial despite his family's substantial ownership stake and a $500 million investment from a UAE-linked firm.
Why it matters
The disclosures and presidential ties have intensified political conflict-of-interest allegations and federal court litigation over foreign ownership disclosures.
Who is affected
World Liberty Financial, the Trump administration, WLFI token holders, and federal court litigants.
What's next
Federal court decisions regarding sanctions requests concerning the project's ownership disclosures.
Primary source
decrypt.co: Trump Says He Knows 'Nothing' About World Liberty Financial as He Defends UAE Ties

Key points

  • President Trump stated he knows 'nothing' about World Liberty Financial despite holding a co-ownership stake via family-affiliated entities 1.
  • UAE-backed Aryam Investment acquired a 49% stake in World Liberty Financial for $500 million four days before Trump's January 2025 inauguration 1.
  • DT Marks DEFI LLC holds 22.5 billion WLFI tokens, a 38% holding company stake, and 75% of net token sale proceeds 1.

US President Donald Trump stated he knows "nothing" about crypto venture World Liberty Financial despite his co-ownership, addressing questions regarding the company's United Arab Emirates-linked backers in a post-midterms interview 1. Speaking with columnist Ross Douthat, Trump defended the arrangement after being questioned about potential conflicts of interest, according to an interview transcript published by CBS News 1. When asked why he has not divested from the venture, Trump said his sons operate the family business and noted that most of his assets are handled by Wall Street firms through index funds 1.

Trump maintained that conflicts of interest are an issue faced by "every president," comparing contemporary crypto holdings to historical holdings in commodities such as oil 1. World Liberty Financial, which issues the governance token $WLFI and the $USD1 stablecoin, previously agreed to sell a 49% stake to UAE-backed entity Aryam Investment for $500 million days prior to Trump's January 2025 inauguration 1. Aryam Investment is linked to UAE national security adviser Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed 1. The transaction, signed by Eric Trump, drew criticism from lawmakers, including Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT), who characterized the matter in February as "potentially criminal conduct" 1. A spokesperson for World Liberty previously stated that neither Trump nor Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff had involvement in the deal 1.

The venture's foreign ties have also emerged in active litigation, including proceedings where Justin Sun moved for sanctions against World Liberty Financial over alleged disclosure delays regarding its UAE ownership 1. World Liberty has dismissed Sun's legal moves as a public relations maneuver 1. Separately, the platform has faced courtroom pressure regarding executive dealings, as seen when a former Circle engineer sued Trump over World Liberty Financial deals 1.

According to World Liberty's corporate disclosures, Trump-affiliated entity DT Marks DEFI LLC owns roughly 38% of the project's holding company, holds 22.5 billion $WLFI tokens, and maintains rights to 75% of net token sale proceeds 1. Another affiliated entity holds an indirect claim on interest from reserves backing USD1 1. The project's documentation states that no member of the Trump family serves as an officer, director, or employee, though Trump's sons remain active with the company 1. At the time of writing, WLFI was trading at $0.0461.

Sources

  1. [1] Trump Says He Knows 'Nothing' About World Liberty Financial as He Defends UAE Ties — decrypt.co, November 9, 2026

Written by Basis Desk's newsroom system from the primary sources above and machine-verified against them before publication. Market figures marked "at the time of writing" come from live exchange data. Report an error: corrections@basisdesk.news · corrections policy.

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