Trump confirms co-ownership of World Liberty Financial in 60 Minutes interview, says he knows nothing about UAE-related investors
When U.S. President Trump was interviewed by CBS’s 60 Minutes on November 8, 2026, he confirmed that he is a co-owner of the crypto company World Liberty Financial. When asked whether some of the company’s equity is held by investors affiliated with the UAE government, Trump said he knew nothing about it.
In the interview, reporter Ross Douthat pointed out that Trump’s sons are involved in managing World Liberty Financial, and that the company is also partly owned by investors linked to the UAE. Trump said that he did not know much and that his sons were running the company, adding that it would be difficult to ask them to completely stop business activities during the four years he serves as president. He also said he spends very little time managing his personal assets, and that his sons handle those matters.
Earlier reports showed that an entity related to UAE National Security Adviser Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed Al Nahyan had acquired about 49% of World Liberty Financial for about $500 million, with the transaction signed before Trump took office. The company had previously said that Trump did not participate in the transaction and did not take part in the company’s operations after taking office.
Original source:
Title: Trump defends family's crypto business in 60 Minutes interview Publisher: Crypto Briefing (reporting based on CBS 60 Minutes interview coverage) Publication date: 2026-11-09 URL: https://cryptobriefing.com/trump-defends-family-crypto-60-minutes/ Nature of source: Media report on a public interview Verification status: This read used the relevant English report and publicly available 60 Minutes content, verification date 2026-11-09 Supporting content: Trump confirmed co-ownership of World Liberty Financial; said he knew nothing about operational details or UAE-related investors; said his sons run the company
ABAB AI Insight
World Liberty Financial was launched by the Trump family around September 2024 and operates the USD1 dollar stablecoin and the WLFI governance token. In January 2025, days before taking office, entities related to UAE National Security Adviser Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed Al Nahyan acquired about 49% of the company for about $500 million, and the transaction was signed by Eric Trump. Trump family-related entities previously held a high proportion, and after this transaction the family still retained an important stake.
This 60 Minutes interview was the occasion on which Trump publicly confirmed his status as a co-owner and directly responded to questions about UAE investors. He separated the company’s operations from his presidential duties, emphasizing that his sons (Eric, Donald Jr., Barron, etc.) handle day-to-day management, that he does not participate in specific decisions, and that he does not discuss crypto-related matters with his sons. This statement is consistent with the earlier company spokesperson’s claim that Trump was not involved in the transaction and had no operational role after taking office.
Investment involving the UAE had already drawn scrutiny. Reports from the Wall Street Journal and others pointed out that the equity transaction was linked to the backdrop of the UAE seeking access to advanced U.S. AI chips; other reports involved large purchases of the USD1 stablecoin by UAE-related funds. Democratic lawmakers and some lawsuits have raised concerns about potential conflicts of interest. In the interview, Trump framed his response by saying that every president has had private business interests, and he compared his own situation with presidents’ past asset holdings.
At present, public information does not show Trump announcing a divestment of this equity stake, nor does it specify his exact ownership percentage or the arrangement for proceeds. The interview content is his own statement about his status as a co-owner and the extent of his operational involvement; the specific equity structure and flow of funds remain subject to company documents, financial disclosures, and prior media investigations.
ABAB News · Cognition Law
When a president publicly confirms co-ownership of a family business, the extent of knowledge about specific investors and operational details must be stated separately and cannot be inferred directly from the fact of ownership to imply day-to-day management involvement.
An equity transaction completed before taking office and a statement about an operational role after taking office must be recorded separately by time point, to avoid conflating them into the same action.