# Trump’s crypto venture tied to WorldClaw offering restricted Chinese AI models > Source: > Published: 2026-08-17 14:21:00+00:00 In a deal that will raise more questions about US President Donald Trump’s business interests while holding office, World Liberty Financial, the crypto venture backed by Trump, is working with Hong Kong-based AI platform WorldClaw. The platform provides access to roughly 90 AI models, of which 43 are developed by Chinese companies including [Alibaba](https://thecoinheadlines.com/tech-and-ai/alibaba-baidu-shares-climb-as-apple-taps-local-ai-partners-in-china/article-26371/), Baidu, Z.ai, DeepSeek, and Moonshot. Those firms face direct U.S. restrictions, Alibaba and Baidu are designated as Chinese military-aligned companies, while Z.ai is on the Commerce Department’s entity list. DeepSeek and [Moonshot](https://thecoinheadlines.com/tech-and-ai/chinas-moonshot-ai-unveils-kimi-k3-closing-gap-with-u-s-ai-leaders/article-26572/) have been accused by U.S. officials of [stealing American technology](https://thecoinheadlines.com/tech-and-ai/alibaba-v-s-anthropic-u-s-china-spyware-tensions-get-ai-twist/article-24763/). The platform also offers models from U.S. firms including OpenAI and Anthropic, but the presence of restricted Chinese models has drawn sharp scrutiny. **How the Trump Family benefits financially** Users can pay for WorldClaw’s services using USD1, World Liberty’s dollar-pegged stablecoin, allowing the Trump family to benefit from the token’s use. The family owns 38 percent of World Liberty and has already [earned](https://thecoinheadlines.com/crypto/trumps-crypto-fortune-draws-fresh-scrutiny-from-democratic-senator-elizabeth-warren/article-26505/) more than $1.4 billion from token sales. The president’s two eldest sons, Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump, have publicly promoted WorldClaw on social media, and a World Liberty executive has served as an advisor to the platform. The WorldClaw spokesperson stated that Ryan Fang, World Liberty’s head of growth, has been a *“helpful external adviser and supporter”* of the company. **A clash with administration policy** Seven experts on Chinese technology, trade, and government ethics reported that the collaboration runs counter to the administration’s tough stance on Chinese tech companies. Sam Bresnick, a fellow at Georgetown University’s Center for Security and Emerging Technology, called it *“hypocritical”* for the administration to try to [counter Chinese AI](https://thecoinheadlines.com/tech-and-ai/u-s-blacklists-alibaba-byd-citing-links-to-chinese-military-days-after-trump-xi-summit/article-21479/) while Trump-linked ventures profit from selling it. The White House has defended the arrangement, with spokesperson Anna Kelly stating that *“there are no conflicts of interest”* and that *“President Trump only acts in the best interests of the American public.”* World Liberty and WorldClaw maintain that they are independent companies and that offering a model does not constitute endorsement of its developer. **The USD1 stablecoin: The financial glue behind the AI platform’s controversy** At the center of this partnership lies World Liberty’s USD1 stablecoin, which serves as the payment rail for WorldClaw’s AI services. So this is not just a technical detail, but the financial mechanism that allows the Trump family to profit from every transaction involving restricted [Chinese models](https://thecoinheadlines.com/tech-and-ai/chinas-venture-funding-hits-9b-as-beijing-pushes-for-ai-dominance-over-us/article-20411/). Since the Trumps own 38 percent of World Liberty, every time someone pays for an Alibaba or [Z.ai model](https://thecoinheadlines.com/tech-and-ai/z-ai-launches-glm-5-3-open-source-model-excels-in-cybersecurity-and-coding/article-29353/), a piece of that money ends up benefiting the president’s business. This [stablecoin](https://thecoinheadlines.com/crypto/how-stablecoins-actually-work-backing-depegs-and-what-can-go-wrong/article-19962/) was meant to take on big names like USDT, USDC, etc., but now it’s stuck right in the middle of a messy mix of AI, national security, and bad optics.