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Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) questions Secretary of Treasury Scott Bessent during a Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs hearing in Washington DC, USA on February 5, 2026.
(Photo by Nathan Posner/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Warren Leads Charge to Undo $500 Billion Secret Deal Between UAE 'Spy Sheikh' and Trump's Crypto Company
"We cannot allow American national security simply to be sold to the highest bidder."
Feb 06, 2026
The unprecedented money that President Donald Trump is raking in from foreign investors during his second term has prompted Sen. Elizabeth Warren to take the lead in pushing back.
Speaking on the US Senate floor on Thursday, Warren (D-Mass.) called on her fellow senators to support a resolution in favor of condemning and reversing an agreement struck by the Trump administration to sell advanced artificial intelligence technology to the United Arab Emirates.
The resolution was also backed by Sens. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Andy Kim (D-NJ), and Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.).
Warren's call came days after the Wall Street Journal revealed that a member of the Abu Dhabi royal family secretly backed a massive $500 million investment into the Trump family’s cryptocurrency venture just months before the deal for the advanced AI chips was announced.
During her speech, Warren scoffed at the notion that Trump was unaware that lieutenants of Abu Dhabi royal Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed Al Nahyan signed a deal in early 2025 to buy a 49% stake in World Liberty Financial, the startup founded by members of the Trump family and the family of Trump Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff.
"President Trump’s own son signed the deal for half a billion dollars," remarked Warren. "An initial payment of $187 million dollars was reportedly directed to flow to Trump family companies. Another initial payment of $31 million dollars was reportedly directed to flow into entities connected to the family of Steve Witkoff, Trump’s golf buddy who had been named the US Special Envoy to the Middle East."
In addition to citing national security concerns about selling sensitive AI technology to the UAE, Warren said that Congress should step in to reverse the deal simply to stop Trump from using the presidency to enrich his personal finances.
"Here we are, one year into Donald Trump’s second term, and Trump has amassed more than $1.5 billion from his crypto ventures like World Liberty Financial," she noted. "Trump is profiting off the Presidency while American families are worrying about their jobs, the rising cost of groceries, and how they're going to pay their bills."
Warren ended her speech by demanding that her fellow lawmakers in Congress act.
"Trump is profiting from decisions that make it easier for countries like China to get their hands on some of our most sensitive and advanced technologies," she said. "Congress needs to grow a spine. We cannot allow American national security simply to be sold to the highest bidder. The Senate must pass this resolution to condemn this corruption and call on Donald Trump to reverse his decision to allow the export of advanced AI chips to the UAE."
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The unprecedented money that President Donald Trump is raking in from foreign investors during his second term has prompted Sen. Elizabeth Warren to take the lead in pushing back.
Speaking on the US Senate floor on Thursday, Warren (D-Mass.) called on her fellow senators to support a resolution in favor of condemning and reversing an agreement struck by the Trump administration to sell advanced artificial intelligence technology to the United Arab Emirates.
The resolution was also backed by Sens. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Andy Kim (D-NJ), and Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.).
Warren's call came days after the Wall Street Journal revealed that a member of the Abu Dhabi royal family secretly backed a massive $500 million investment into the Trump family’s cryptocurrency venture just months before the deal for the advanced AI chips was announced.
During her speech, Warren scoffed at the notion that Trump was unaware that lieutenants of Abu Dhabi royal Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed Al Nahyan signed a deal in early 2025 to buy a 49% stake in World Liberty Financial, the startup founded by members of the Trump family and the family of Trump Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff.
"President Trump’s own son signed the deal for half a billion dollars," remarked Warren. "An initial payment of $187 million dollars was reportedly directed to flow to Trump family companies. Another initial payment of $31 million dollars was reportedly directed to flow into entities connected to the family of Steve Witkoff, Trump’s golf buddy who had been named the US Special Envoy to the Middle East."
In addition to citing national security concerns about selling sensitive AI technology to the UAE, Warren said that Congress should step in to reverse the deal simply to stop Trump from using the presidency to enrich his personal finances.
"Here we are, one year into Donald Trump’s second term, and Trump has amassed more than $1.5 billion from his crypto ventures like World Liberty Financial," she noted. "Trump is profiting off the Presidency while American families are worrying about their jobs, the rising cost of groceries, and how they're going to pay their bills."
Warren ended her speech by demanding that her fellow lawmakers in Congress act.
"Trump is profiting from decisions that make it easier for countries like China to get their hands on some of our most sensitive and advanced technologies," she said. "Congress needs to grow a spine. We cannot allow American national security simply to be sold to the highest bidder. The Senate must pass this resolution to condemn this corruption and call on Donald Trump to reverse his decision to allow the export of advanced AI chips to the UAE."
The unprecedented money that President Donald Trump is raking in from foreign investors during his second term has prompted Sen. Elizabeth Warren to take the lead in pushing back.
Speaking on the US Senate floor on Thursday, Warren (D-Mass.) called on her fellow senators to support a resolution in favor of condemning and reversing an agreement struck by the Trump administration to sell advanced artificial intelligence technology to the United Arab Emirates.
The resolution was also backed by Sens. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Andy Kim (D-NJ), and Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.).
Warren's call came days after the Wall Street Journal revealed that a member of the Abu Dhabi royal family secretly backed a massive $500 million investment into the Trump family’s cryptocurrency venture just months before the deal for the advanced AI chips was announced.
During her speech, Warren scoffed at the notion that Trump was unaware that lieutenants of Abu Dhabi royal Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed Al Nahyan signed a deal in early 2025 to buy a 49% stake in World Liberty Financial, the startup founded by members of the Trump family and the family of Trump Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff.
"President Trump’s own son signed the deal for half a billion dollars," remarked Warren. "An initial payment of $187 million dollars was reportedly directed to flow to Trump family companies. Another initial payment of $31 million dollars was reportedly directed to flow into entities connected to the family of Steve Witkoff, Trump’s golf buddy who had been named the US Special Envoy to the Middle East."
In addition to citing national security concerns about selling sensitive AI technology to the UAE, Warren said that Congress should step in to reverse the deal simply to stop Trump from using the presidency to enrich his personal finances.
"Here we are, one year into Donald Trump’s second term, and Trump has amassed more than $1.5 billion from his crypto ventures like World Liberty Financial," she noted. "Trump is profiting off the Presidency while American families are worrying about their jobs, the rising cost of groceries, and how they're going to pay their bills."
Warren ended her speech by demanding that her fellow lawmakers in Congress act.
"Trump is profiting from decisions that make it easier for countries like China to get their hands on some of our most sensitive and advanced technologies," she said. "Congress needs to grow a spine. We cannot allow American national security simply to be sold to the highest bidder. The Senate must pass this resolution to condemn this corruption and call on Donald Trump to reverse his decision to allow the export of advanced AI chips to the UAE."
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