US President Donald Trump has denied knowledge of an alleged multimillion-dollar deal between his family and an Abu Dhabi royal for a major stake in crypto platform World Liberty Financial.
“I don’t know,” Trump told reporters Monday when asked about his involvement within the deal.
“My sons deal with it – my family takes care of it,” Trump added. “I suppose they get investments from different people.”
JUST IN: 🇺🇸🇦🇪 President Trump says he didn't know Abu Dhabi invested $500 million in his World Liberty crypto project.
“I don't know. My sons deal with it, I suppose they get investments from others.” pic.twitter.com/AOBosetnpE
— Bitcoin Black (@Bitcoinblackk) February 2, 2026
The Wall Street Journal reported Saturday that Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed Al Nahyan, a member of the royal family of Abu Dhabi within the United Arab Emirates, purchased a 49 percent stake in WLFI for $500 million 4 days before Trump's inauguration.
The WSJ report was based on WLFI documents and comments from people aware of the matter.
The first installment of a Tahnoon-backed company, Aryam Investment 1, was reportedly $250 million, of which $187 million went to Trump family firms.
Another $31 million went to an organization linked to 2 of WLF's founders, Zak Folkman and Chase Herro.
The deal would make Aryam WLFI's largest shareholder, raising concerns about foreign influence in a U.S. crypto company closely tied to the president. He is one among nine WLFI founders, along along with his sons Donald Trump Jr., Eric and Barron.
Sheikh Tahnoon has diplomatic ties with the US and is chairman of Group 42, an Abu Dhabi-based AI conglomerate that received US Commerce Department approval in December to purchase advanced chips from Nvidia and Advanced Micro Devices.
Senator criticizes Trump's crypto ties
The report on Sheikh Tahnoon's involvement in WLFI could increase regulatory and media scrutiny over Trump's ties to cryptocurrencies.
In January, Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren asked the country's banking regulator to attend to contemplate World Liberty Financial's bid for a banking license until Trump divested his interest within the crypto platform.
The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency later rejected Warren's offer, saying no political or personal financial ties would affect the procedural review and that it will be subject to the identical “rigorous review” as some other application.
WLFI spokesman David Wachsman expressed the same sentiment to Bloomberg:
“The concept that when raising capital a personal American company needs to be held to a singular standard that no other similar company would meet is each ridiculous and un-American.” Cointelegraph is committed to independent, transparent journalism. This news article is produced in accordance with Cointelegraph's editorial guidelines and goals to offer accurate and up-to-date information. Readers are advised to independently confirm the data. Read our editorial policies https://cointelegraph.com/editorial-policy
