A member of the Abu Dhabi royal family, often referred to as the “Spy in Chief,” allegedly acquired a substantial stake in the Trump family’s cryptocurrency venture for $500 million just days before Trump’s inauguration.
Shortly after, the Trump administration authorized the United Arab Emirates to import 500,000 advanced AI chips annually. This was a marked change from the restrictions seen during the Biden administration; according to reports.
The Wall Street Journal indicates that Sheikh Tahnoun bin Zayed Al Nahyan, known for his slender build and almost always sporting dark sunglasses, has entered into an agreement with the Trump family to acquire a 49% share of World Liberty Financial.
The agreement, as reported, involves an upfront payment of $187 million to the Trump family, with an additional $31 million earmarked for entities connected to Steve Witkoff, a co-founder of World Liberty and a longtime friend of the former president.
Tahnoun, who is the UAE’s national security adviser and the brother of the UAE president, had pursued access to these AI chips after the Biden administration imposed export restrictions due to fears of them being redirected to China.
This transaction raises potential concerns regarding the Constitution’s Emoluments Clause, which forbids U.S. presidents from profiting from foreign governments through business transactions.
Moreover, Tahnoun’s company, G42, has faced scrutiny from U.S. lawmakers due to its connections with sanctioned Chinese firms like Huawei.
After Trump’s reelection, Tahnoun reportedly met multiple times with Trump, Witkoff, and U.S. officials, including a visit to the White House earlier this year.
Not long afterward, the Trump administration made the decision to allow the UAE to receive 500,000 advanced chips yearly, a quantity that would necessitate massive infrastructure—a capability compared to multiple Hoover Dams—sufficient for constructing one of the world’s largest data center locations.
Approximately 20% of these chips are expected to be allocated to G42.
In response to these developments, White House press secretary Anna Kelly stated that Trump’s assets are held in trusts managed by his children, asserting there is “no conflict of interest” and that Witkoff is fully committed to his personal ventures in promoting “world peace.”
Kelly criticized mainstream media for perpetuating false narratives about Trump officials.
White House Counsel David Warrington also defended Trump, stating that the former president is fulfilling his constitutional responsibilities ethically and termed any contrary suggestions as either ill-informed or intentionally misleading.
Warrington added that Witkoff will step back from World Liberty Financial and won’t take part in any public matters that could impact his financial interests.
This stake sale positions Tahnoun’s firm, Ayam Investment 1, as the principal shareholder of World Liberty Financial, with two executives from Ayam, who held significant roles in G42, joining the five-member board of World Liberty.
Before the UAE chip deal was unveiled, World Liberty’s CEO, Zach Witkoff, shared that MGX, another company backed by Tahnoun, would use World Liberty’s stablecoin for a substantial investment in Binance.
This announcement reportedly led to a surge in the World Liberty stablecoin’s value, enhancing its standing among major stablecoins.
Additionally, in October 2025, Trump granted a pardon to Binance founder Chao Changpeng, who had admitted to breaking anti-money laundering laws, following pressure from individuals close to the UAE royal family.
Tahnoun’s MGX is also investing in a new venture to manage TikTok’s U.S. operations, part of negotiations led by the Trump administration.
MGX further supports Stargate, a $500 billion data center initiative associated with OpenAI and SoftBank, which was initially announced by Trump during his first day in office, though significant advancements are yet to be reported.
Furthermore, Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner raised $1.5 billion for his investment firm in 2024 from entities linked to Tahnoun.
