Trump-UAE AI Chip Deal: World Liberty Financial and Sheikh Tahnoon’s Stake

The Trump administration granted UAE access to AI chips following a major stake purchase in World Liberty Financial by Sheikh Tahnoon, raising questions about conflicts of interest and the emoluments clause.

2 months later, the Trump administration permitted the United Arab Emirates access to 500,000 of the most sophisticated AI chips every year– a sharp turnaround from Biden-era export curbs, according to The Wall surface Street Journal.

It would certainly likewise reserve $31 million for entities connected with the family of Steve Witkoff, a Globe Liberty founder and Trump’s long time golfing pal that was called United States agent to the Middle East simply a couple of weeks prior, according to the record.

White House spokesperson Anna Kelly told The Blog post that Trump’s properties are in a trust taken care of by his youngsters and there are “no problems of passion,” and that Witkoff has actually “spent substantial time far from his family” on his own cent to advance “objectives of peace around the globe.”

Strategic Investment in World Liberty Financial

The 49% stake sale would make Tahnoon’s firm Aryam Investment 1 the largest investor in World Freedom Financial, and include two Aryam directors– who likewise held leading duties at G42– to World Liberty’s five-person board, The Journal reported, citing files.

It raised questions around whether the deal breaches the emoluments condition of the Constitution, which blocks the head of state from receiving benefit from international governments with his businesses, The Journal noted.

A few weeks prior to the UAE chips deal was revealed in May, World Freedom CEO Zach Witkoff– Steve Witkoff’s child– announced that MGX, an additional Tahnoon-backed company, would certainly utilize Globe Liberty’s stablecoin to complete a $2 billion investment in Binance.

Strengthening Middle East Tech Relations

Sheikh Tahnoon container Zayed Al Nahyan– a bearded, wiry man almost never ever seen without his trademark dark sunglasses– became part of a manage the Trump family to purchase a 49% stake in World Liberty Financial, The Journal reported, mentioning business files and sources.

Tahnoon– the United Arab Emirates’ national safety adviser and sibling to the Gulf monarchy’s president– had actually been pushing the US for access to AI chips after the Biden administration looked for to limit exports over worries they can be diverted to China.

MGX is also among the capitalists backing Stargate, a $500 billion data facility project including OpenAI and SoftBank that Trump revealed on his initial complete day in office, but has yet to announce much development.

Legal Questions and High-Profile Pardons

In October 2025, Trump pardoned Binance founder Changpeng Zhao, that had actually pleaded guilty to going against anti-money laundering regulations. People close to UAE royals had been pressing the Trump administration to pardon Zhao, The Journal reported.

Just a couple of months later on, the Trump administration provided the UAE accessibility to 500,000 sophisticated chips yearly– requiring the matching of more than 2 Hoover Dams well worth of power, and enough to construct among the largest-ever information facility websites, according to The Journal.