President Donald Trump said he knew “nothing” about World Liberty Financial when questioned about his co-ownership of the crypto venture and its links to investors associated with the United Arab Emirates government, according to a CBS News interview transcript cited by Decrypt.
Publication context: Decrypt published the original report on November 9, 2026, at 19:26:27 UTC+8. The interview followed the previous week’s U.S. midterm elections.
Columnist Ross Douthat asked Trump why the arrangement differed from one he would describe as corrupt if it involved the Biden family. Trump responded: “Here’s the difference […] I’m gonna tell you why. Because I know nothing about it.”
Asked why he did not divest, Trump said Wall Street firms managed most of his money through index funds and that his sons ran the family business. “It’s hard to say to them, ‘Don’t do anything anymore for four years because I’m president,’” he said.
When Douthat asked whether foreign investors believed they were buying influence, Trump replied: “I don’t know.” He argued that presidential conflicts of interest dated back to George Washington, saying, “There’s crypto, and before that there was oil,” and that “every president has had this problem.”
The UAE investment under scrutiny
Eric Trump announced World Liberty Financial in August 2024. The company issues the WLFI governance token and USD1 stablecoin. In January 2026, it launched World Liberty Markets, a lending and borrowing platform built on the DeFi protocol Dolomite.
Its UAE connections have drawn scrutiny from Democrats. Citing The Wall Street Journal, Decrypt reported in February 2026 that Aryam Investment, a UAE-backed entity tied to national security adviser Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed, agreed to buy a 49% stake for $500 million four days before Trump’s January 2025 inauguration.
Eric Trump signed the agreement on World Liberty’s behalf. The deal reportedly preceded the administration’s reversal of restrictions on advanced AI chip sales to the UAE; that sequence does not itself establish a causal connection.
ABC News reported that a World Liberty spokesperson said neither Trump nor his Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, had “any involvement whatsoever” in the transaction. Trump has previously said he was unaware of the deal. Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT) described the arrangement in February as “potentially criminal conduct”—an allegation, not a finding of wrongdoing.
What the company discloses about the family’s stake
According to World Liberty’s disclosures, DT Marks DEFI LLC, an entity affiliated with Trump and certain family members:
- Owns about 38% of the holding company behind World Liberty Financial.
- Holds 22.5 billion WLFI tokens.
- Is entitled to 75% of net proceeds from WLFI token sales.
A separate Trump-affiliated entity has an indirect claim on interest earned on the reserves backing USD1.
The disclosures state that no Trump family member is an officer, director or employee of World Liberty. Decrypt nevertheless reported that Trump’s sons remained involved with the company earlier in 2026.
The UAE ownership question has also entered World Liberty’s legal dispute with Tron founder Justin Sun. Sun’s lawyers asked a federal court to sanction the company, alleging that it delayed disclosing UAE ownership that could defeat federal jurisdiction over his lawsuit. World Liberty has characterized Sun’s legal campaign as a “meritless PR stunt.”