As a major intersection of geopolitics, cryptocurrency, and artificial intelligence (AI), potential conflicts of interest have emerged involving Donald Trump’s family business ventures.
According to Reuters, a cryptocurrency company backed by U.S. President Donald Trump is collaborating with a Hong Kong-based venture offering artificial intelligence models developed by Chinese companies that the U.S. administration has flagged for national security concerns.
The platform—WorldClaw (also referred to in market reports, as the AI marketplace) was founded earlier this year and offers customers access to a suite of AI models while accepting World Liberty’s crypto tokens as payment.
Through its ownership stake, the Trump family earns revenue from the utilization of these digital tokens.
Critics and ethics watchdogs have raised conflict-of-interest questions due to the timing of the deal alongside subsequent U.S. policy decisions regarding high-performance artificial intelligence chips and data centers.
According to investigative reports by outlets like The Wall Street Journal via Binance Square, an investment vehicle backed by Abu Dhabi royal Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed Al Nahyan secured a significant stake in World Liberty Financial ahead of the presidential inauguration.
While representatives for World Liberty Financial and the Trump Organization have maintained that the venture operates in full compliance with ethical guidelines and applicable laws, emphasizing that officials hold no active operational roles in the company, tech ethics experts remain concerned.
Seven specialists on Chinese technology, trade, and government ethics noted that the business collaboration and the potential profits for President Trump through World Liberty, runs counter to his administration’s strict stance toward Chinese tech companies.
“As the U.S. government tries to respond to the rise and threat of Chinese AI, it seems hypocritical to go out through this AI marketplace to use these tools from China to try and make a bunch of money,” said Sam Bresnick, a fellow at Georgetown University’s Center for Security and Emerging Technology.
World Liberty generates revenue from the use of its USD1 stablecoin, including when platform users select it as their mode of payment for access to foreign and domestic AI models.
Like other U.S. dollar-based stablecoins, USD1 is backed by traditional assets like U.S. Treasury securities so that it maintains a constant value, with the Trump family entitled to a percentage of the interest earned on those assets.
The president’s two eldest sons have publicly promoted the AI partnership, and a World Liberty executive has worked as an advisor to the network.
However, it remains undisclosed exactly how much money the Trump family has earned from crypto payments processed through the service.
David Wachsman, a spokesman for World Liberty, stated that the platform operates independently and noted that major U.S. firms offer AI from Chinese as well as American tech companies, calling it “a common and widely accepted approach.
“White House spokesperson Anna Kelly also said in a statement that “there are no conflicts of interest” in the relationship between World Liberty and the tech venture, adding that “President Trump only acts in the best interests of the American public.
