Trump crypto firm paid UFC fighters USD1 on White House lawn
World Liberty Financial, co-founded by Trump, paid $250,000 in USD1 stablecoin bonuses to UFC fighters on the White House South Lawn as Congress probes a 49% UAE-linked stake.
On June 14, World Liberty Financial, a crypto company co-founded by President Donald Trump in 2024, paid $250,000 in USD1 stablecoin bonuses to fighters at UFC Freedom 250 on the South Lawn of the White House.
World Liberty Financial was the presenting sponsor of the event and added $250,000 in USD1 to the Performance of the Night bonus pool, increasing each winner’s payout to $425,000. Crypto.com provided Fight of the Night bonuses, raising those awards to $400,000 each. Fourteen fighters competed for roughly $1.65 million in bonuses, and Performance of the Night winners received their payments in USD1 on the South Lawn.
USD1 is a dollar-pegged stablecoin issued by World Liberty Financial and backed by U.S. Treasury securities and cash equivalents. The token launched in March 2025, operates on Ethereum, BNB Chain, Tron and Solana, and has reached a market capitalization above $5 billion.
A firm linked to Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the United Arab Emirates national security adviser, bought a 49% stake in World Liberty Financial for a reported $500 million. Separately, another Tahnoon-linked company used USD1 to settle a $2 billion investment in Binance.
The House of Representatives opened a formal probe into the company’s ownership and the implications of the UAE-linked stake. Lawmakers have requested documents and briefings to examine the ownership structure, controls over USD1’s reserves and who benefits when USD1 payments settle.
The White House event and public distribution of USD1 occurred while congressional scrutiny was underway. The House inquiry is ongoing.
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