Trump crypto firm backs venture offering AI from restricted Chinese companies

The Trump family’s crypto venture, World Liberty Financial, is at the center of a growing controversy that connects Abu Dhabi money, advanced AI chips, and companies with documented ties to restricted Chinese technology firms. At the heart of the matter is a $500 million investment that gave a UAE-linked entity a 49% stake in WLFI. That deal closed on January 16, 2025, just days before Donald Trump’s second inauguration. The money trail from Abu Dhabi to the Trump family The investment is linked to Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed Al Nahyan, a member of Abu Dhabi’s ruling family and the chair of G42, a prominent UAE-based artificial intelligence company. Of the $500 million, roughly $187 million was wired directly to Trump family entities upfront. WLFI was co-founded by Donald Trump, with sons Eric and Donald Jr. serving as co-founders. The family is entitled to approximately 75% of proceeds from token sales. Shortly after this investment landed, the US government approved the UAE for access to advanced AI chips, including Nvidia’s H200 processors. These approvals effectively overrode restrictions that had been put in place during the Biden administration specifically because of concerns a...