Trump: I'm a big crypto fan

President Donald Trump was questioned aboard Air Force One by New York Times reporter Jonathan Swan about a $2 billion investment from a UAE-backed firm involving Trump-affiliated cryptocurrency.

Trump is currently touring the Persian Gulf on a four-day visit with stops in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates—a trip that’s stirred scrutiny over a $400 million luxury aircraft gifted by Qatar, now being used as his version of Air Force One.

The spotlight has also landed on the Trump family’s business interests, including the crypto venture World Liberty Financial. That firm’s USD1 token—branded as Trump crypto—was recently used by state-owned Emirati firm MGX to facilitate a $2 billion deal with Binance. The announcement was made by WLF co-founder Zach Witkoff, the son of Trump’s Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff.

While en route to Doha on Wednesday, Swan raised the issue directly with Trump during a press gaggle on the plane:

JONATHAN SWAN: Mr. President, an Emirati state-backed company just closed a $2 billion transaction using your digital coin. Can you explain how that came together?

PRESIDENT TRUMP: What? I don’t know anything about that. I really don’t. But I’ve always been a fan of crypto, I’ll tell you that. From day one, even during the campaign—I’ve believed in it.

Trump added that the U.S. needs to stay ahead of China in emerging technologies: “If we don’t embrace it, China will. Same with AI—we’re far ahead of them, and we need to keep it that way.”

SWAN: So you weren’t aware of the deal?

TRUMP: No. Not at all.