The Tiger King star said he wants a spot on the president’s cabinet, too
Joe Exotic is still pinning his hopes of freedom on a pardon from Donald Trump, despite being snubbed earlier this year.
In his latest public plea to the US president from behind bars, the Tiger King star appeared to have adopted a different approach in the hopes of winning Trump over.
Exotic – real name Joseph Allen Maldonado – is currently serving a 21-year prison sentence after he was convicted of numerous charges.
These included conspiracy to commit murder for hire, with the target being his long-running rival Carole Baskin, and nine counts of violation of the Endangered Species Act.
Since he was thrown in the slammer, Exotic has called on a string of celebrities and public figures to help get him out.
In 2020, Trump told a reporter that he would ‘take a look’ at the Netflix star’s case, however, it seems as though he has given Exotic the cold shoulder ever since.
In January the following year, more than 140 people – including rappers Lil Wayne and Kodak Black – were granted pardons by Trump, but Exotic didn’t make the cut.
The tiger trader then turned to former President Joe Biden for help in gaining his freedom, which again didn’t work.
Exotic then hit out at Trump for ‘forgetting’ him once again this year, when around 1,500 people were pardoned over their roles in the January 6 riots in 2021.
Two members of the far-right group ‘Proud Boys’ were also pardoned, along with Silk Road founder Ross Ulbricht.
In a statement shared to Instagram at the time, Exotic fumed: “If I was a crack dealer, maybe if I broke in the Capitol or even have been related to the Biden’s. I might have gotten some relief on being in prison innocent.”
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Exotic’s social media pleas have continued since, seeing him list a number of reasons regarding why he deserves his freedom.
Now, he’s implored Trump to assist him once again – while dually fishing for a job offer and giving him some tips on how to handle politics.
Speaking on the Mad That podcast from behind bars, Exotic was asked whether he had a message for Trump…and boy, did he.
The 61-year-old, from Kansas, told hosts Harry Robinson and Carl Reigler that if he was ‘face-to-face’ with the president, he would say: “You’re probably one of the most amazing business people on the planet and you’re the only one that can abolish foreign wars and get us out of all this bullsh*t.
“But I need you to focus and cut the rhetoric and the name calling,” Exotic continued. “I realise that is your persona, just like Joe Exotic shooting blow-up dolls and bullsh*t, okay?
“We both have a stupid side to us, but I still want to be in your cabinet. I have full belief that you will help me get out of here and I want to be in your cabinet as the director of the federal fish and wildlife.”
Exotic wasn’t done there either, as he went on to urge Trump to ‘grant asylum to his other half’, saying: “He’s from a horrible part of Mexico and he’s the most amazing person that I’ve ever met and he needs your help.”
And while Trump’s at it, Exotic wants him to pardon a fellow inmate who he has grown friendly with while in prison, too.
“Richard’s got to go with us, man,” he added. “He’s going to be our ring bearer.”
It seems Exotic now thinks flattery, constructive criticism and appealing to Trump’s romantic side are the way to go if he wants to gain freedom.
