According to Reuters on August 17th, World Liberty Financial, backed by U.S. President Trump, is working with a startup based in Hong Kong, China. The startup provides artificial intelligence (AI) models developed by Chinese companies.
Ironically, the Trump administration is committed to suppressing Chinese AI on the grounds of so-called national security.
Earlier this year, WorldClaw was established to provide access to a range of AI models for its clients. It accepts cryptocurrency tokens from World Liberty as payment methods. The Trump family earns income from the use of World Liberty tokens through their ownership stakes.
According to a Reuters survey, out of the 90 models offered on the WorldClaw website, 43 (almost half) were developed by Chinese technology companies such as Alibaba, Baidu, and Z.ai. The Trump administration has always claimed that these companies pose risks to national security and intellectual property rights in the United States.
At the same time, WorldClaw also provides dozens of models from American companies such as OpenAI and Anthropic.
Eric Trump once publicly recommended the screenshot of the WorldClaw tweet.
Reuters stated that the collaboration between World Liberty and WorldClaw, as well as the relationship between WorldClaw and these Chinese companies, is not illegal. Moreover, due to the higher cost-effectiveness of Chinese models, they are gaining attention worldwide, including among American technology companies.
Despite this, seven experts stated that this commercial cooperation – and Trump's possible profits through World Liberty – contradict the US government's stance on China's AI.
Georgtown University Safety and Emerging Technology Center Research Fellow Sam Bresnick said: “The U.S. government is simultaneously trying to deal with China's rise and threat of AI, while at the same time using Chinese AI models to make money through WorldClaw, which seems somewhat hypocritical.”
Reuters was unable to determine the financial arrangements for World Liberty and WorldClaw, nor could it ascertain how much money the Trump family earned from the cryptocurrency payments on these platforms.
But Trump’s two sons have publicly promoted WorldClaw, and one of the executives at World Liberty served as a consultant for WorldClaw.
White House spokesperson Anna Kelly said in a statement that there is no “conflict of interest” between World Liberty and WorldClaw, and that “President Trump acts only in the best interests of the American public.”
World Liberty spokesperson David Wilcox stated that WorldClaw is an independent company and pointed out that major US companies also simultaneously provide AI models for Chinese and American tech companies. "This is a common practice widely accepted."
WorldClaw spokesperson stated in a statement that the company “helps American AI companies reach international users,” and that “providing models does not constitute recognition of their developers.”
According to the official website of the Trump family group, World Liberty Financial has received support from this group.
According to Reuters, individuals and businesses can typically legally use the Chinese AI models provided by WorldClaw. However, some Chinese companies that produce these AI models face restrictions from the U.S. government due to so-called national security concerns, including Alibaba, Baidu, and Z.ai.
In addition, officials of the Trump administration have also targeted DeepSeek and the dark side of the moon, accusing them of 'stealing' the intellectual property rights of American AI companies.
In recent years, artificial intelligence has become an important area of competition between China and the United States in technology.
In the past, the United States had a long-term advantage in areas such as chips, basic models, and cloud computing. However, as Chinese companies continue to invest in artificial intelligence research and development, the technological gap between China and the United States is rapidly narrowing. This is especially true in the field of open-source models, where the progress of Chinese companies has raised significant concerns among the United States.
Facing the accelerating progress of AI in China, the US government is clearly anxious.
In early August, it was reported that the White House summoned AI giants such as Anthropic, OpenAI, Google, Meta, Microsoft, and NVIDIA to a closed meeting to discuss a so-called “voluntary AI regulatory framework”.
As for why the Trump administration has introduced new measures at this time, American media unobtrusively point to China. The New York Times states that Trump constantly mentions "China" when discussing AI, vowing to maintain America's leading position in AI technology. The Wall Street Journal notes that Chinese companies have recently launched large models with outstanding performance and at lower costs.
According to an internal draft document and information disclosed by an American official, the United States is preparing to inform dozens of countries that they must choose sides in the AI competition with China.
Currently, the United States is accelerating the establishment of technological barriers and implementing highly exclusive technical rules. This strategy of maintaining strict control not only increases the risk of factionalism in global technology governance but also seriously threatens the global open innovation ecosystem.
