"Startled from a deathbed illness," SBF desperately flatters Trump for pardon but gets rejected

marsbitPublicado a 2026-02-25Actualizado a 2026-02-25

Resumen

Sam Bankman-Fried (SBF), the convicted cryptocurrency fraudster and former major donor to the Democratic Party, has recently adopted a pro-Trump and MAGA-aligned rhetoric in a series of social media posts. Despite being sentenced to 25 years in federal prison, SBF has been actively praising Donald Trump and criticizing what he calls the "Deep State" and partisan bias in the judiciary, explicitly naming the judge who sentenced him. His apparent goal is to seek a presidential pardon from Trump, who has previously pardoned high-profile financial criminals, including Binance founder Changpeng Zhao (CZ). However, the Trump administration has reiterated that he has no intention of pardoning SBF, along with several other notable prisoners. SBF, once a prominent supporter of progressive causes, began shifting toward conservative alignment after the collapse of FTX, even planning to appear on Tucker Carlson’s show as a Republican. Despite his efforts, his history as a top Biden donor and his notorious reputation in crypto make a pardon highly unlikely. SBF continues to appeal and maintains an active, conservatively-focused social media presence through approved prison communication channels.

Author: Fortune

Compiled by: Felix, PANews

Convicted cryptocurrency fraudster Sam Bankman-Fried (SBF) was once a major donor to the Democratic Party, but his recent public statements have taken on a distinct "MAGA" (Make America Great Again) tone. In a recent manifesto posted on platform X, he wrote: "Judge Lewis Kaplan, appointed by Clinton, showed no restraint in his political bias when sentencing me. I admire President Donald Trump because he dares to stand up to this 'partisan, out-of-control radical'!"

This is just one of dozens of tweets SBF has posted in recent weeks, filled with attacks on the "Deep State" and other MAGA villains. Despite being one of the most notorious financial criminals of the century, currently serving a 25-year sentence in federal prison, he remains active.

Although SBF has not explicitly stated it, the purpose of his social media frenzy is obvious: to persuade President Donald Trump to rescue him from prison. Given that Trump has pardoned several high-profile individuals convicted of financial crimes, including SBF's former rival, Binance founder Changpeng Zhao (CZ), this strategy seems logical.

However, for SBF, his plea for Trump's mercy appears futile. In response to recent social media advocacy, a White House spokesperson reiterated to Fortune magazine that Trump has no intention of pardoning SBF.

In an email, the spokesperson referenced Trump's remarks in January of this year, when the president explicitly stated that he did not plan to pardon SBF or several other high-profile prisoners, including former New Jersey Senator Robert Menendez and ousted Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. The spokesperson wrote: "The president is the final arbiter of all pardon matters."

SBF's lawyers did not respond to the matter.

Failed Attempt

SBF has long been a supporter of progressive causes, and his parents, both law professors at Stanford University, wield considerable influence among top Democrats. However, when SBF's fraudulent crypto empire collapsed in November 2022, the founder began planning a shift to the right. During the trial, a private document revealed that SBF planned to appear on conservative TV host Tucker Carlson's show and "come out as a Republican."

On the surface, this strategy seemed reasonable, especially in the current political climate. Trump is set to take office in January 2025 and has promised to roll back the Biden administration's crackdown on cryptocurrencies. Under Trump's leadership, regulators have withdrawn key lawsuits against blockchain companies, and the Department of Justice has shifted its approach to cryptocurrency enforcement.

However, Washington insiders say SBF's status as a top donor to Biden, combined with his continued notoriety in the crypto industry, made his pardon plea a long shot from the start. Even his unauthorized appearance on Tucker Carlson's show last year (which reportedly landed him in solitary confinement) failed to turn the tide.

Despite the slim chances, SBF has not given up. He is still appealing his conviction in federal appellate court. His X account is filled with posts promoting his newly adopted conservative identity, which critics have dubbed a "puppet account." (In his bio, SBF clarifies that he communicates content to agents via Bureau of Prisons-approved phones and emails for posting.)

A recent post read: "Democrats love to censor 'misinformation' on social media," followed by praise for Trump's campaign platform. "Truth Social and GETTR have always put free speech first."

Related reading: SBF's first prison interview: I was targeted by the DOJ for donating to the Republican Party, begging President Trump's pardon

Preguntas relacionadas

QWhat is the main reason SBF (Sam Bankman-Fried) is trying to align himself with MAGA and Donald Trump?

ASBF is attempting to seek a pardon from Donald Trump by publicly supporting him and criticizing his opponents, hoping for a commutation of his 25-year prison sentence for cryptocurrency fraud.

QHow did the White House respond to SBF's recent efforts to gain support from Trump?

AA White House spokesperson reiterated to Fortune magazine that Trump has no intention of pardoning SBF, referencing Trump's earlier statements in January where he explicitly stated he would not pardon SBF and other high-profile prisoners.

QWhat was SBF's political affiliation before his legal troubles, and how did it change?

ASBF was previously a major donor to the Democratic Party and supported progressive causes. However, after the collapse of his crypto empire in November 2022, he began shifting to the right, planning to appear as a Republican on conservative media.

QWhat strategy did SBF use to promote his new conservative identity while in prison?

ASBF used his X (formerly Twitter) account, managed by an approved intermediary through prison-approved phone and email, to post numerous messages criticizing the 'Deep State' and praising Trump, in an effort to build conservative support.

QWhy is SBF's attempt to gain a pardon from Trump considered unlikely to succeed?

ASBF's past as a top donor to Biden, his notorious reputation in the crypto industry, and the explicit rejection from Trump's camp make his pardon plea highly unlikely, despite his efforts to align with conservative causes.

Lecturas Relacionadas

Stuck Polymarket: The Real Test After Riding the Traffic Boom Has Arrived

Polymarket, a leading prediction market platform, is facing significant technical challenges as its growth outpaces its current infrastructure on Polygon. Users are experiencing laggy transactions, unresponsive orders, and delayed confirmations, severely impacting the trading experience. In response, DeFi Engineering VP Josh Stevens outlined a comprehensive engineering overhaul. The plan includes reducing on-chain data delays, fixing order cancellation issues, rebuilding the central limit order book (CLOB), improving website performance, and developing a unified SDK and API. A major revelation was the ongoing "chain migration," indicating a potential move away from Polygon. The core issue is that Polymarket has evolved from a simple prediction market into a high-frequency trading platform, making Polygon's limitations—such as block space, gas fees, and block time—a ceiling for further growth. The migration is not just a simple chain switch but a fundamental rebuild of its trading system to support more complex products like perpetual contracts (Perps). This announcement has sparked competition among chains like Solana, Sui, and Algorand, all vying to host Polymarket. For Polygon, losing this key application, which contributes significantly to its gas fee revenue, would be a major setback. The real test for Polymarket is no longer attracting users but proving it can provide a stable, reliable trading environment that retains them.

Odaily星球日报Hace 35 min(s)

Stuck Polymarket: The Real Test After Riding the Traffic Boom Has Arrived

Odaily星球日报Hace 35 min(s)

Key Lawmaker 'Relents', Wash's Biggest Obstacle to Assuming Fed Chair on May 15 Cleared

Key political opposition to Kevin Warsh's nomination as Federal Reserve Chair has been removed after Senator Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) withdrew his objection, clearing the way for a committee vote on April 29. Tillis had previously blocked the nomination due to a criminal investigation into current Chair Jerome Powell, which he viewed as a threat to Fed independence. The Justice Department has since dropped the investigation. Warsh, who has broad Republican support, is expected to be confirmed by the Senate in time for Powell’s term expiration on May 15. If confirmed, Warsh has signaled significant policy changes, including abolishing the "dot plot" of interest rate projections and reevaluating the Fed’s forward guidance framework. These changes could fundamentally alter the market’s pricing mechanisms for stocks, bonds, and currencies. Although the criminal case against Powell is closed, uncertainty remains as he retains his board seat until 2028. President Trump has not fully endorsed Powell, citing an ongoing review of Fed renovation spending. Warsh’s potential reforms target the communication tools developed post-2008, which have become foundational to global asset pricing.

marsbitHace 59 min(s)

Key Lawmaker 'Relents', Wash's Biggest Obstacle to Assuming Fed Chair on May 15 Cleared

marsbitHace 59 min(s)

Lowering Expectations for BTC's Next Bull Market

The author, Alex Xu, explains his decision to significantly reduce his Bitcoin holdings (from full to ~30% of his portfolio) during the current bull cycle, citing a lowered long-term outlook for BTC's price appreciation in the next cycle. He outlines six key reasons for this reduced expectation: 1. **Diminished Growth Drivers:** The narrative of exponential user adoption has largely played out with institutional ETF adoption. The next major growth phase—adoption by sovereign national reserves or central banks—seems unlikely in the near future. 2. **Personal Opportunity Cost:** More attractive investment opportunities have emerged in other assets, such as undervalued companies. 3. **Industry-Wide Contraction:** The broader crypto industry is struggling, with most Web3 business models (SocialFi, GameFi, DePIN) failing. This overall萧条 (depression) reduces the fundamental demand and consensus for Bitcoin. 4. **Strain on Major Buyer:** MicroStrategy, a major corporate buyer of BTC, faces rising financing expenses for its debt, which could slow its purchasing rate and create significant marginal pressure on the market. 5. **Increased Competition from Gold:** The emergence of "tokenized gold" has closed the functional gap (portability, divisibility) between physical gold and Bitcoin, offering a strong competitor in the non-sovereign store-of-value space. 6. **Security Budget Concerns:** The block reward halving continues to exacerbate the long-standing issue of funding Bitcoin's network security, with new fee source explorations like Ordinals and L2s largely failing. The author's decision to hold a significant (though reduced) position reflects a cautious, not bearish, outlook. He remains open to increasing his exposure if the fundamental reasons for his skepticism change or if new positive catalysts emerge.

marsbitHace 1 hora(s)

Lowering Expectations for BTC's Next Bull Market

marsbitHace 1 hora(s)

Prediction Markets Cannot Exist Without Insider Trading, But Insider Trading Is Killing Them

Prediction markets face a fundamental contradiction: they rely on insider trading to generate accurate prices, yet this same activity erodes public trust and threatens their survival. Recent scandals, such as a U.S. special forces member making $400,000 on Polymarket using classified information about a raid, highlight the severity of the issue. While platforms like Polymarket and Kalshi market themselves as venues where "everyone is an expert" and encourage informed trading, they also enforce policies against illegal insider trading. The core dilemma is that these markets depend on informed insiders for price efficiency but require uninformed retail participants to provide liquidity. If insider trading is too rampant, retail traders leave, perceiving the market as unfair. If restrictions are too strict, valuable information flow dries up, reducing the market’s predictive utility. The challenge is finding a balance that maintains both accuracy and perceived fairness—a task complicated by regulatory pressures and recurring scandals.

marsbitHace 1 hora(s)

Prediction Markets Cannot Exist Without Insider Trading, But Insider Trading Is Killing Them

marsbitHace 1 hora(s)

Can Iran 'Control' the Strait of Hormuz?

Iran has announced a comprehensive plan to assert control over the strategic Strait of Hormuz, a critical global oil shipping chokepoint. The proposed measures include requiring all vessels to obtain Iranian permission for passage, imposing fees for security, environmental protection, and navigation management—preferably paid in Iranian rials—and absolutely banning Israeli ships. Vessels from countries deemed hostile by Iran’s top security bodies may also be barred. Analysts suggest Iran’s motives are multifaceted: increasing pressure on the U.S. and Israel by leveraging control over oil transit to influence global prices and inflation; creating a new revenue stream, potentially exceeding $7.7 billion annually, to counter Western sanctions and support postwar reconstruction; and using transit permissions as bargaining chips in future negotiations, notably with the U.S. However, the plan faces significant practical and diplomatic challenges. Enforcing comprehensive interception and fee collection in the busy waterway, patrolled by international military forces, would be difficult. The U.S. has already countering with a blockade of Iranian ports and threats to intercept any ship paying fees, potentially strangling Iran’s oil exports and fee revenue. Broad international opposition, led by European and Gulf states, and legal controversies further complicate implementation. The proposal may ultimately serve more as a negotiating tactic than a feasible policy, with its execution remaining highly uncertain.

marsbitHace 2 hora(s)

Can Iran 'Control' the Strait of Hormuz?

marsbitHace 2 hora(s)

Trading

Spot

Futuros