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

marsbitPublicado em 2026-02-25Última atualização em 2026-02-25

Resumo

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

Perguntas 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.

Leituras Relacionadas

Over $31 Million Stolen from Humanity, Is the Team Behind It Paving the Way for a New Project?

The article reports a major security incident involving Humanity Protocol (H), resulting in over $31 million stolen. The team attributes the hack to a private key leak from a Humanity Foundation member, leading to a rapid sale of H tokens and a 90% price drop. However, prominent on-chain investigator ZachXBT suggests the event might be an "exit scam" orchestrated by the team, rather than an external hack. This suspicion is fueled by the team's controversial history, including past management failures, legal issues, and previous scandals like outsourced technology and problematic airdrops. Further investigation reveals that the core team behind Humanity is already involved with a new project called "Everything," which recently secured funding. This has led to community speculation that the alleged hack is a deliberate scheme to abandon the H project while shifting focus and resources to their new venture, leaving investors to bear the losses. The article questions whether this is a genuine security failure or a premeditated "rug pull" strategy.

Odaily星球日报Há 54m

Over $31 Million Stolen from Humanity, Is the Team Behind It Paving the Way for a New Project?

Odaily星球日报Há 54m

SoftBank's Son, Bankrupted by Good Stories, Awaits His Next Alibaba

Masayoshi Son is back. After years defined by Vision Fund's massive losses and costly missteps like WeWork—which shattered market confidence and led to billions in write-downs—Son has found redemption through AI. His early, high-conviction bets are paying off handsomely. Arm, acquired for $32 billion in 2016 and once a heavily leveraged burden, has become a gold mine amid the AI compute boom, delivering roughly a 10x return for SoftBank after its 2023 IPO. More crucially, SoftBank has made an enormous, concentrated bet on OpenAI, committing over $64 billion for a roughly 13% stake. This investment is already showing massive paper gains, contributing significantly to SoftBank's soaring valuation and propelling Son back to the top as Asia's richest person. The narrative has shifted from the "fool" who fell for grandiose stories to the visionary who endured a brutal downturn and is now being rewarded for his early faith in artificial intelligence.

marsbitHá 1h

SoftBank's Son, Bankrupted by Good Stories, Awaits His Next Alibaba

marsbitHá 1h

WeChat Agent Issues a 'Heroic Summons,' Half of the Internet Responds

WeChat AI Agent is on the horizon. The WeChat Open Platform has issued a guide for developers, offering them ways to integrate into the WeChat AI ecosystem. This will enable mini-programs to be discovered and invoked by the AI. Meituan has already announced its integration, allowing users to access services like food delivery through WeChat AI. Other platforms like Ctrip and Tongcheng have followed suit. Furthermore, WeChat is collaborating with major smartphone manufacturers to enable their native AI assistants to perform actions within WeChat, such as initiating calls or sending messages, through a controlled protocol called Agent-to-Agent (A2A). Reports indicate the WeChat AI Agent will be accessible by swiping right on the main interface. It aims to understand user intent within the rich context of chats, groups, and past interactions, then automatically call upon relevant mini-programs to complete tasks like ordering coffee or booking restaurants. This positions it as a potential "super app" with direct access to WeChat's vast ecosystem of services, social connections, and payment systems. Technically, this is a complex endeavor. It requires advanced natural language understanding, a "world model" to predict interactions within mini-programs (UI-Oceanus), multi-model orchestration for cost efficiency, and careful coordination with millions of third-party service providers. Tencent's development follows a "Co-Design" approach, where product teams and the Hunyuan model team collaborate closely, allowing capabilities honed in other AI products (like Yuanbao for chat, ima for search, WorkBuddy for office tasks) to be transferred to the WeChat Agent. Tencent is strategically opting for the A2A protocol over GUI-based automation (which it has blocked in the past), maintaining control over its ecosystem. To manage the immense scale and cost of serving 1.4 billion monthly active users, Tencent is deepening its ties with DeepSeek, known for its cost-effective training, to secure a low-cost inference backbone. The ultimate goal is to solve practical, everyday problems for users within the WeChat ecosystem, moving beyond technical benchmarks to deliver real utility, which Tencent sees as the key to winning in the long-term AI game.

marsbitHá 1h

WeChat Agent Issues a 'Heroic Summons,' Half of the Internet Responds

marsbitHá 1h

Strategy Erases Last Week’s Bitcoin Sale With 1,550 BTC Purchase

Strategy, a major Bitcoin treasury firm, has made a substantial purchase of 1,550 BTC for approximately $101 million. This acquisition completely offsets the company's sale of 32 BTC just one week prior, which had negatively impacted market sentiment. Following this buy, Strategy's total Bitcoin holdings have reached a new record of 845,256 BTC. The company's leadership, including Chairman Michael Saylor and CEO Phong Le, emphasized their ongoing strategy to accumulate Bitcoin over time. Concurrently, Strategy added $100 million to its USD reserve, bringing its total to $1 billion, to ensure dividend payments. The purchase was reportedly funded through sales of the company's stock. Meanwhile, U.S. Bitcoin spot ETFs experienced a fourth consecutive week of net outflows, totaling $1.72 billion last week. Bitcoin's price is currently around $63,400, reflecting a nearly 12% decline over the past seven days.

bitcoinistHá 1h

Strategy Erases Last Week’s Bitcoin Sale With 1,550 BTC Purchase

bitcoinistHá 1h

Humanity Loses $31 Million in Attack, Token Price Plummets 90% Due to a Single Private Key

On June 9th, the digital identity project Humanity Protocol suffered a major security breach resulting in over $31 million in losses. According to on-chain analyst Specter, hundreds of wallets holding the project's H token were drained. The attack was confirmed by founder Terence Kwok to be caused by the compromise of a foundation member's private key. As a precaution, users are advised to avoid interacting with Humanity's cross-chain bridge or liquidity pools. The incident caused the H token price to crash over 90%, from around $0.70 to a low of $0.052, wiping its market cap from $2 billion to approximately $35.7 million. The attacker allegedly minted 100 million new H tokens and is selling them for BNB. This breach adds to existing controversies surrounding Humanity Protocol. Founded in 2024, it aimed to verify human users via palm-print biometrics and zero-knowledge proofs. However, a leaked conversation in 2025 revealed that only about 1 million of its 9 million claimed Human IDs had completed biometric verification, suggesting 88% might be bots. Furthermore, the project has faced allegations of being a repackaged product from a Chinese access control vendor, raising privacy and authenticity concerns. Founder Terence Kwok's previous venture, Tink Labs, a hotel smartphone startup that raised $170 million, failed and entered bankruptcy in 2020 after burning through its funding. The current attack highlights the persistent critical issue of private key management in crypto. Unlike smart contract exploits, a private key compromise bypasses all on-chain security mechanisms. With no user compensation plan announced yet, this $31 million breach may be a final blow to the project's credibility, already weakened by previous controversies and a heavily depreciated token.

marsbitHá 2h

Humanity Loses $31 Million in Attack, Token Price Plummets 90% Due to a Single Private Key

marsbitHá 2h

Trading

Spot
Futuros
活动图片

Categorias popularesright-arrow

Etiquetas Popularesright-arrow