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WASHINGTON — The Trump UAE deal is facing intense scrutiny after new reporting revealed that a firm controlled by the United Arab Emirates’ national security adviser secretly acquired a major stake in a Trump family crypto venture just days before the White House approved the transfer of advanced U.S. artificial intelligence technology to the Gulf state.
The disclosure has reignited concerns over conflicts of interest, foreign influence, and whether U.S. national security decisions were shaped by private financial gain.
Speaking on the U.S. Senate floor on February 3, 2026, Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) demanded accountability over what he described as a covert financial arrangement linking the Trump UAE deal, cryptocurrency profits, and a dramatic reversal of long-standing bipartisan security policy.
At the center of the controversy is World Liberty Financial, a cryptocurrency firm affiliated with President Donald Trump and his family. According to reporting cited by Murphy, a UAE-linked investment entity quietly purchased a 49% stake in the company for $500 million just four days before Trump’s second inauguration.
Murphy told senators that the transaction funneled large sums directly to individuals with close ties to the president. “At the very least, $187 million is going directly from this UAE company into the Trump family’s pockets,” Murphy said on the Senate floor.
“At least $31 million is going directly from this UAE company into the pocket of the Witkoff family.”
Steve Witkoff, Trump’s chief Middle East adviser, has business ties to World Liberty Financial, a fact Murphy said undermines claims that the president is insulated from the company’s operations. Murphy emphasized that the deal was carried out in private, without public disclosure, despite involving a foreign government official and a sitting U.S. president.
“It is not a coincidence,” Murphy said, “that a secret deal is done in which a foreign government puts money directly into the hands of the president of the United States, secretly.”
The Trump UAE deal, Murphy argued, represents a new and troubling intersection of cryptocurrency markets and presidential power, where digital assets allow large transfers of wealth with limited transparency.
The financial transaction took on greater significance when viewed alongside a major policy shift that followed soon after. For years, both Republican and Democratic administrations had resisted selling advanced U.S. AI chips to the UAE, citing concerns that the technology could be diverted to China through existing security ties.
Yet shortly after Trump took office, the administration approved a $1 billion sale of advanced AI chips to a UAE-linked firm associated with Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the country’s national security adviser.
Murphy said the decision stunned lawmakers across party lines. “He’s discarding the advice of his advisors,” Murphy said of Trump, “and he’s going to hand that country that just gave him $187 million national security secrets.”
The Trump UAE deal, Murphy contended, provides a financial explanation for what otherwise appeared to be an inexplicable policy reversal—one that ignored years of bipartisan warnings and expert objections.
Murphy also detailed the ownership structure behind World Liberty Financial, noting that the company is tied to DT Marks DeFi LLC, which he said is directly owned by Trump. According to Murphy, President Trump reportedly controls 70% of the entity, with the remaining stake linked to his sons and close associates.
“There is no separation between Donald Trump, Steve Witkoff, and World Liberty Financial,” Murphy said, rejecting claims that the president has divested from the venture.
Murphy further noted that this was not the first time the UAE official involved had invested in Trump-linked crypto projects. Earlier public investments helped boost the value and visibility of Trump-branded digital assets, a pattern Murphy said reflects systematic monetization of the presidency.
“There is no record in the history of the United States of a foreign government making a direct investment in a company owned by the president of the United States,” Murphy said. “No wonder they did this in secret.”
Murphy framed the Trump UAE deal as more than a single ethical lapse, warning that it could normalize a dangerous precedent. “The White House has become a non-stop corruption machine,” he said. “Never, ever before in the history of the nation has the president of the United States so openly, so brazenly, so consistently worked to use the immense power of the presidency to enrich himself.”
He argued that the alleged exchange of money for policy favors contains “the elements of a bribe” and could amount to “potentially criminal conduct.” While acknowledging that congressional oversight has stalled, Murphy insisted that accountability may yet come.
“The rule of law may be suspended today,” he said, “but the rule of law is coming back.”
As scrutiny of the Trump UAE deal intensifies, the episode highlights broader questions about transparency in crypto markets, foreign investments in U.S. political figures’ businesses, and the safeguards meant to protect national security decision-making.
For critics, the concern is not just what happened—but what such arrangements could make acceptable in the future.
