World Liberty Financial, the crypto venture co-founded by members of President Donald Trump's family, is collaborating with a Hong Kong AI gateway that offers models from Chinese companies his administration has identified as national security or intellectual property risks.
A Reuters review published August 17th found that 43 of the 90 models available through WorldClaw's website came from Alibaba, Baidu, Z.ai and other Chinese developers facing US government scrutiny. WorldClaw also carried dozens of models from American developers including OpenAI and Anthropic.
The relationship creates a direct commercial connection between World Liberty's crypto products and demand for Chinese AI. WorldClaw accepts World Liberty's USD1 stablecoin for token plans and lets customers lock WLFI tokens to obtain certain packages. WorldClaw markets its WorldRouter product as a single gateway to more than 300 AI models, often at prices below the model providers' published rates.
Reuters reported that the Trump family owns 38% of World Liberty and can earn revenue tied to the use of its tokens. USD1 is backed by assets including US Treasury securities, money-market funds and dollar deposits, according to World Liberty's documentation. Interest on those reserves creates an economic stake for World Liberty and, through its ownership, the Trump family.
Reuters could not determine World Liberty's financial arrangement with WorldClaw or the amount the Trump family has earned from payments on the platform. The president's two eldest sons have promoted WorldClaw publicly, and Reuters reported that a World Liberty executive has advised WorldClaw.
A commercial tie with legal separation
WorldClaw's terms draw a formal boundary around the relationship. The terms of service describe WorldClaw Limited as a Hong Kong company and say World Liberty does not offer, manage or control its services. They characterize World Liberty's role as limited to licensing certain trademarks.
The product integration goes further than branding. WorldClaw advertises USD1 discounts, supports USD1 deposits for model credits and offers plans obtained by locking WLFI. World Liberty co-founder Zach Witkoff has promoted the collaboration as infrastructure for AI agents that can make stablecoin payments, while Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump have also amplified the product.
WorldClaw told Reuters that offering a model does not amount to endorsing its developer and said its service helps American AI companies reach international users. World Liberty spokesman David Wachsman said multi-model gateways commonly carry technology from both US and Chinese companies.
WorldClaw's own terms bar people and entities in the United States from accessing the service. The restrictions also cover US citizens regardless of their location, along with residents or citizens of Canada, China, Japan, the United Kingdom and most of the European Union. That leaves WorldClaw marketing American models and Trump-linked payment products through a service whose written rules exclude American customers.
Models from companies Washington has targeted
The Chinese models identified by Reuters remain generally legal to use. The US restrictions cited in the report primarily constrain exports, government procurement or other business involving the developers rather than banning individuals from running their models.
Z.ai illustrates the distinction. The Commerce Department added Zhipu AI, now known internationally as Z.ai, and several related entities to the Entity List in January 2025. The federal rule said the companies advanced China's military modernization through advanced AI research. Placement on the list imposes licensing requirements on exports and transfers of covered US technology, with applications generally facing a presumption of denial.
The Defense Department has separately used its Section 1260H process to identify companies it says contribute to China's military-civil fusion strategy. Such designations do not create a blanket prohibition on accessing publicly released AI models, leaving aggregators room to sell inference across geopolitical lines.
Seven technology, trade and government ethics specialists told Reuters that World Liberty's relationship with WorldClaw conflicts with the administration's campaign against Chinese technology companies. Sam Bresnick, a fellow at Georgetown University's Center for Security and Emerging Technology, said the arrangement allows the president's family business to pursue income from the same Chinese AI sector the government portrays as a strategic threat.
The White House rejected the conflict argument. Spokesperson Anna Kelly told Reuters there were "no conflicts of interest" and said Trump acts in the interests of the American public.
World Liberty's published governance paper lists Donald Trump as co-founder emeritus after his removal upon taking office. It identifies Donald Trump Jr., Eric Trump and Barron Trump as co-founders, alongside crypto operators and members of the Witkoff family. The document allocates revenue to founder-affiliated entities, while stating that Trump family members do not operate World Liberty.
WorldClaw gives that structure a new source of potential demand. Every USD1 payment can expand use of World Liberty's stablecoin, while every WLFI lock ties an AI customer more closely to its token system. The commercial incentive runs through the gateway even when World Liberty disclaims control over the models sold through it.