World Liberty Financial, the cryptocurrency venture backed by President Donald Trump and his family, is collaborating with a Hong Kong-based platform that offers artificial intelligence models developed by Chinese companies the Trump administration has flagged for national security and intellectual property concerns. The partnership between World Liberty and WorldClaw, a platform offering access to 90 AI models, includes 43 models from Chinese tech companies such as Alibaba, Baidu, and Z.ai, according to a Reuters investigation published Sunday. DeepSeek and Moonshot are also among the Chinese AI models available through the platform.
Tokens and Revenue
WorldClaw accepts USD1, the stablecoin launched by World Liberty Financial, along with other stablecoins for its services. Eligible users can also unlock certain plans by locking WLFI tokens, the governance token of the Trump-backed venture. The Trump family generates revenue from the use of these tokens through its stake in World Liberty, Reuters reported. The arrangement raises fresh conflict-of-interest questions, as the Trump administration has simultaneously taken an aggressive posture toward Chinese technology companies. The administration has imposed restrictions on several of the same firms whose AI models WorldClaw makes available to paying customers.
World Liberty Defends Partnership
David Wachsman, a representative for World Liberty, defended the partnership by arguing that WorldClaw operates independently and that many American companies also utilize AI from Chinese tech companies. A WorldClaw spokesperson told Reuters that their company helps American AI companies reach international users and that making a model available does not constitute an endorsement of its developer. The collaboration comes at a sensitive moment in U.S.-China technology relations. The Trump administration has restricted exports of advanced chips to China and taken enforcement action against Chinese AI companies over concerns about data security and intellectual property theft. World Liberty Financial has been a frequent subject of scrutiny since its launch. A Reuters investigation in July found that four Trump family crypto ventures generated at least $2.3 billion in pre-tax income while investors absorbed nearly equivalent losses. Justin Sun, a major investor, sued World Liberty in April seeking to unfreeze his tokens.
Sources: Reuters; Benzinga; CoinMarketCap; Intelligence Online
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