Key Highlights
- In the press conference, U.S. President Trump shared a comment on a $500 million investment from Abu Dhabi into his World Liberty Financial
- He clarified that he was not aware of this deal, as his sons are running operations
- The involvement of HH Sheikh Tahnoon Bin Zayed Al Nahyan into Trump family-linked crypto firm has sparked political debate
While addressing the press conference at the White House yesterday, U.S. President Donald Trump revealed that he did not know about a major $500 million investment from Abu Dhabi into his family’s crypto venture, World Liberty Financial (WLFI).
(Source: Watcher.guru)
Amid the ongoing debate on this massive investment, he said on February 2, “I don’t know about it. My sons are handling that. I guess they get investments from people.” In his statement, he clarified that he is currently focusing on national priorities and is not associated with business.
Abu Dhabi’s Massive Investment in Trump-linked WLFI Sparks Fresh Controversy
U.S. President Donald Trump’s statement comes after an investigation report revealed that an Abu Dhabi-based firm, Aryam Investment, acquired 49% stake in WLFI for $500 million in the latest deal. This company has the backing of HH Sheikh Tahnoon Bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
According to the report, the deal was signed just four days before Trump’s second inauguration ceremony on January 16. The deal was executed by his son, Eric Trump, and HH Sheikh Tahnoon Bin Zayed Al Nahyan. HH Sheikh Tahnoon Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, also known as “Spy Sheikh” due to its connection with intelligence agencies.
The official document revealed that the deal includes an upfront payment of $250 million. Most of this fund, around $187 million, was directly injected into Trump family firms, such as DT Marks DEFI LLC and DT Marks SC LLC.
This investment has grabbed many headlines because of the involvement of Sheikh Tahnoon, who is a brother of UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed.
This deal was also confirmed by WLFI spokesperson David Wachsman, who confirmed the transaction. He called this move very important for the company’s growth. Wachsman also clarified that neither President Trump nor WLFI co-founder Steve Witkoff was involved in this deal.
“President Trump only acts in the best interests of the American public – which is why they overwhelmingly re-elected him to this office, despite years of lies and false accusations against him and his businesses from the fake news media. President Trump’s assets are in a trust managed by his children. There are no conflicts of interest,” White House spokesperson Anna Kelly stated earlier.
“Mr. Witkoff, like all Administration officials, takes seriously his compliance with the government ethics rules. As Special Envoy for Peace Missions, he has not and does not participate in any official matters that could impact his financial interests. He has also divested from World Liberty Financial, notwithstanding his ability and willingness to recuse,” White House counsel David Warrington stated to CNN.
WLFI Becomes a Hotbed for Controversies
This is not the first time World Liberty Financial has attracted the attention of mainstream media.
For example, crypto billionaire Justin Sun, founder of the Tron blockchain, was one of the early investors. Sun invested $30 million in late 2024 to revive interest during WLFI’s token pre-sale and later increased his investment to $75 million by January 2025.
Justin Sun, who faced a since-dropped SEC fraud lawsuit, joined the platform as an adviser and took part in the launch of WLFI’s stablecoin, USD1.
However, his partnership with Trump took a hit in September 2025 when WLFI froze over $100 million of Sun’s tokens to avoid potential selling. In response, Sun also demanded their release. According to Bubblemaps, his locked holdings have lost $60 million in value by December 2025.
Apart from this, Trump’s vocal support for WLFI during his 2024 election campaign already sparked political debate. Congressional Democrats, led by Senator Elizabeth Warren, have protested against the UAE deal and called it a threat to national security.
Corruption, plain and simple.
Steve Witkoff, David Sacks, and Howard Lutnick must testify in front of Congress.
And Congress needs to grow a spine and put a stop to Trump’s crypto corruption. pic.twitter.com/1pJ1YfOCgM
— Elizabeth Warren (@SenWarren) February 1, 2026
Senator Warren, ranking member of the Senate Banking Committee, said, “This is corruption, plain and simple. The Trump Administration must reverse its decision to sell sensitive AI chips to the United Arab Emirates. Steve Witkoff, David Sacks, Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick, and other Trump Administration officials must testify in front of Congress on mounting evidence that they sold out American national security in order to benefit the President’s crypto company.”
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