Psaki fires – Jen Psaki confronted Eric Trump live after he vowed to sue her and MS NOW, disputing her comments about whether his role with Alt5 created conflicts of interest during President Donald Trump’s trip to China. Psaki pointed to footage from a Nasdaq event and mul
On Friday, Jen Psaki used her show to press back at Eric Trump after he threatened to sue her and MS NOW over comments made the day before about whether his presence on President Donald Trump’s trip to China posed a conflict of interest.
The dispute began during Thursday’s episode of The Briefing with Jen Psaki, when Psaki questioned why Eric Trump—described as someone who was supposed to be kept “fire-walled off from any U.S. government activities” after taking over the family businesses—was accompanying the president.
In that segment. Psaki referenced reporting that tied Alt5 Sigma. a company connected to Eric Trump. to efforts to pursue a U.S.. deal involving data centers with a Chinese chipmaker that U.S.. lawmakers have warned is connected to the ruling Communist Party.. Psaki said the arrangement raised concern given the broader question of conflicts. then highlighted the contradiction of Eric Trump’s participation in the trip.
Eric Trump answered on X with a direct denial. writing that “Contrary to her monolog and blatant lies. I have NEVER been on the board of ALT5—not now. not ever.. Any person with basic access to Google and willing to open a company’s annual report or proxy statements would know this.” He added that he has “had zero involvement in any merger discussions involving any public entity I do not run or control. ” and insisted that he has “zero business interests in China.. No properties, no investments, nothing!”
He also said he joined the trip for personal reasons, calling himself “a loving son who adores my father.” During the bilateral talks, he noted that “@LaraLeaTrump and I went to the Great Wall of China.”
A White House spokesperson told a publication that the president “only acts in the best interests of the American public” and that “there are no conflicts of interest.”
Psaki returned to the screen on Friday and framed Eric Trump’s social media response as a dispute over her description of his relationship to Alt5.. “Today. the adult son of the President of the United States. Eric Trump. came after us on social media and accused us of lying. ” Psaki said.. She added that he “specifically” took issue with being described “as a member of the board” of Alt5.
On Friday, Psaki pointed viewers to a clip of Eric Trump being introduced during Nasdaq’s opening bell ceremony in August last year, where he was presented as part of Alt5’s board. “It is my great pleasure to welcome Alt5 board member Eric Trump,” the announcer said in the footage Psaki aired.
She also played another clip in which Zack Witkoff—described in the reporting as a co-founder of the Trump family’s cryptocurrency business World Liberty Financial alongside Eric Trump—appeared in an Alt5 leadership role.. In that segment. Witkoff said. “I now want to welcome fellow board member and World Liberty co-founder. Eric Trump. ” according to the clip.
Psaki continued by acknowledging the complication embedded in Eric Trump’s denials.. “Now. to be as fair as possible to Eric. I should say that his role at Alt5 has. at the very least. been complicated. ” she said.. Psaki said Eric Trump was not “currently a director on the board. ” then added that “as you just heard. the company initially announced that he was becoming a director on Alt5’s board of directors.” She further noted that at one point. a company filing said he was being appointed as a director and that the company’s website had listed him as a director on its leadership page.
Psaki also discussed how Alt5 and World Liberty Financial are linked. saying “the important thing” was that Alt5 is “deeply intertwined with the Trump family cryptocurrency company that Eric Trump co-founded. World Liberty Financial.” She connected that relationship to Alt5’s Nasdaq appearance. adding that Alt5 celebrated acquiring 7.5 percent of World Liberty Financial’s token supply.. Psaki said, “It was a one and a half billion dollar deal.”
She then brought the argument back to China.. “So, Eric Trump says he has never been on the board of Alt Five, not now, not ever.. Company that publicly introduced him as a board member at the Nasdaq. a company that in SEC filings has described him as a board observer. a company that bought hundreds of millions of dollars worth of World Liberty Financial cryptocurrency. a company that World Liberty Financial is a major stakeholder in. and a company that the Financial Times reported was chasing a deal with a Chinese firm that members of Congress say is connected to the Chinese Communist Party. ” Psaki said.
She closed with a challenge for viewers to judge the competing accounts. “Eric, of course, says that he has no business interests in China at all, and that he joined his dad’s official trip there for one reason and one reason alone: as a loving son who adores his dad. I’ll let you be the judge.”
The shifting descriptions around Eric Trump’s role—his claim that he has “NEVER been on the board of ALT5” contrasted with footage from an August Nasdaq ceremony calling him an “Alt5 board member. ” plus references to SEC filings and a company website that at times placed him in leadership—create a clear back-and-forth over the same core question: what his connection to Alt5 has been during a high-stakes trip tied to China business scrutiny.
The broader backdrop for the exchange includes longstanding allegations that the Trump family has used attention around foreign business and cryptocurrency ventures to benefit from proximity to political power. with critics pointing to the expansion of real estate operations abroad and to cryptocurrency activity tied to policy decisions.
Jen Psaki Eric Trump MS NOW Alt5 Sigma Nasdaq opening bell China trip conflict of interest World Liberty Financial cryptocurrency Alt5 board member lawsuit threat SEC filings board observer