A massive investment deal worth half a billion dollars from an Emirati entity in a cryptocurrency project affiliated with the family of U.S. President Donald Trump has sparked widespread controversy over potential conflicts of interest and corruption. Observers and ethics experts believe that this deal, which took place just days before Trump's inauguration in January 2025, links private business interests with sensitive political decisions related to artificial intelligence technology, placing the White House in a legally and morally precarious position.
### Key Deal Details
The company "Aryam Investment," backed by Sheikh Tahnoun bin Zayed Al Nahyan, acquired a 49% stake in "World Liberty Financial," a cryptocurrency platform owned by the Trump family. The deal was valued at $500 million, with a significant portion paid upfront:
- $187 million went to entities linked to the Trump family.
- $31 million received by Steve Witkoff, Trump's special envoy to the Middle East.
The agreement was made just four days before Trump assumed the presidency in his second term, raising further suspicions about the timing of the deal.
### Connection to Nvidia Chip Sales Decisions
A few months after the deal was completed, the Trump administration issued a decision allowing the UAE to import 500,000 advanced artificial intelligence chips from Nvidia. This type of chip had been banned for export to the UAE during the previous administration of Joe Biden, due to concerns about technology leakage to China or its use in sensitive military purposes.
The coincidence between the UAE's investment in the Trump family project and the lifting of the export ban on chips raises serious questions: Was the decision to allow exports driven by personal business interests? Donald Sherman, head of the ethics watchdog (CREW), described this coincidence as a "potential violation of the foreign emoluments clause in the U.S. Constitution," which prevents public officials from receiving financial benefits from foreign entities without congressional approval.
### Official White House Position
Administration officials defended President Trump by stating that he is "not involved in the management of his private businesses" and that he transferred control of his companies to his sons Donald Jr. and Eric Trump. They described the allegations as "baseless and irrelevant," asserting that Trump conducts his constitutional duties in a morally sound manner and that any claims to the contrary stem from "misinformation or malice."
### Criticism from Experts and Political Opposition
Several critics highlighted various weaknesses in Trump's handling of conflicts of interest:
- Absence of a Blind Trust: Unlike most previous presidents who placed their assets in an independent trust managed by a neutral third party, Trump retained family control over his businesses.
- Sharp Statements from the Opposition: Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren described the deal as "blatant and simple corruption," calling for an immediate investigation from Congress and demanding the reversal of the decision to export Nvidia chips to the UAE.
- Subsequent Developments: In May 2026, World Liberty Financial announced that its UAE investment arm in artificial intelligence (MGX) would use its stablecoin to inject a $2 billion investment into the Binance platform, deepening the ties between government and business interests across borders.
### Conclusion
At a time when Trump is promoting the slogan "America First," his critics argue that the network of international trade deals linking his family to foreign entities – particularly in sensitive areas like crypto and artificial intelligence – creates a significant conflict of interest. This conflict could make some American political decisions susceptible to influence from foreign investments, putting the current administration under intense legal and public scrutiny. The open question remains: Is it merely a matter of business coincidences, or is there a causal relationship between private investments and public political decisions?
