In the November 8 interview, host Ross Douthat pressed Trump about foreign investment in the company, including money linked to investors connected to the United Arab Emirates government. Asked why he had not divested, Trump said, “Because I know nothing about it,” and compared the management of his wealth to investments handled by Wall Street firms through index funds. He said he did not know which individual stocks were bought on his behalf.
Douthat also asked whether foreign investors might see an investment in a company partly owned by the president as a way to buy political influence. Trump replied, “I don’t know,” and said conflicts involving people close to a president were not unique to his administration. He also rejected a comparison with the Biden family raised by the interviewer.
World Liberty Financial has faced scrutiny over a reported $500 million deal in which an investment vehicle linked to UAE national security adviser Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed Al Nahyan acquired a 49% stake. Eric Trump signed the agreement shortly before his father’s January 2025 inauguration. Trump denied knowing about the transaction when reporters questioned him in February 2026.
A separate venture has also drawn attention. In August, Sheikh Tahnoon and other investors were reported to control 49% of WLTC Holdings, which is behind World Liberty’s proposed US national trust bank; a Trump family-affiliated entity reportedly held another 38%. The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency gave the proposed bank preliminary conditional approval on August 14 to issue and redeem the USD1 stablecoin, manage reserves and provide institutional custody. Final authorization depends on regulatory requirements, including capital and operational conditions.
Democrats, after winning control of both chambers of Congress in the November midterm elections, are preparing investigations into Trump family businesses. House Democrats plan to examine World Liberty’s foreign ownership and possible conflicts involving government decisions. Representative Robert Garcia, expected to lead the House Oversight Committee, has named the family’s businesses and cryptocurrency transactions as areas of interest. Senator Elizabeth Warren has also questioned the company’s foreign investments and ties to financial institutions and crypto exchanges.
The company’s USD1 stablecoin was used in a $2 billion investment by Abu Dhabi-backed MGX into Binance in 2025. Separately, Tron founder Justin Sun sought court sanctions against World Liberty and its lawyers on November 3, alleging they failed to disclose its UAE citizenship during a legal dispute. Sun said an initial filing listed only Florida as the company’s jurisdiction; an amended disclosure named 22 entities in its ownership chain, including UAE-associated entities.
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