- J. Benjamin Greenberg, a Circle shareholder, has accused Donald Trump of violating the U.S. Constitution with two transactions involving WLFI and a key government offical in the UAE.
- He alleges that Trump has violated the U.S. Constitution’s Foreign Emoluments Clause through his family’s crypto organization (World Liberty Financial) conducting over $2 billion worth of transactions in the UAE.
- World Liberty Financial has been one of the fastest-growing crypto companies with a fortune of over $3.5 billion.
Trump Faces Foreign Crypto Deals Lawsuit
A shareholder of the Circle Internet (which issues USDC) has filed a lawsuit on October 22, 2026, against President Donald Trump that he and his family have benefitted illegally from his position via crypto deals in the UAE.
In the words of the complainant:
“This action is about the President of the United States corruptly profiting from more than $2 billion in payments from a foreign government in direct violation of the Constitution. No president in American history has profited from his office so brazenly.”
~ J. Benjamin Greenberg
The complainant claims that the deals have flowed through his son Eric Trump’s company, World Liberty Financial (WLFI).
The lawsuit also accuses US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff for having played a role in all of these transactions.
Entire Case Focuses on 2 Transactions
The case filed against Trump is linked to two transactions based out of the UAE.
The first one, was reportedly done by Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the UAE’s national security adviser, who bought a 49% stake in World Liberty Financial days before Trump took office on 20 January 2025. This transaction was reported to be around $500 million.
The second transaction was linked to MGX, an Abu Dhabi-based investment company chaired by the same person, Tahnoon, which purchased around $2 billion of USD1, a stablecoin issued by World Liberty Financial.
Although WLFI claims both these transactions did not involve Donald Trump, neither as a shareholder, nor as a company executive, yet, the complainant claims the President benefitted from them.
What happens if Trump gets convicted?
In the USA, a president cannot be legally tried in a court of law. Any proceedings will have to wait for his Presidency to end.
When his Presidency ends, and if he hasn’t already pardoned himself, legal proceedings can take place in a federal court.
Can Trump pardon himself?
Yes, the US Constitution’s Article 2, Section 2 allows a President to pardon anyone (including himself, though not obviously stated) against any crime against the United States.
In the past, President Biden has pardoned his son and family but it didn’t include himself.
Legally, the theory that “a president can pardon himself”, is still untested and unconstested in the United States Federal Courts.
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