Former FTX Executive Ryan Salame Appears to Seek Trump Pardon Through Pro-MAGA Social Media Campaign

Former FTX executive Ryan Salame, once a co-CEO of the collapsed crypto exchange, is drawing attention after launching a highly visible social media campaign that appears aimed at securing a presidential pardon from Donald Trump. Despite currently serving a 90-month federal prison sentence, Salame’s X account has recently become active with a steady stream of politically charged posts closely aligned with Trump-era Republican priorities.

Over the past several weeks, Salame’s posts have praised conservative policies, criticized Democrats, and echoed Donald Trump’s rhetoric on immigration enforcement, voter ID laws, and alleged election integrity issues. In one viral post, Salame claimed that if granted clemency, he would “spend the remainder of my sentence working as an ICE agent,” a statement that quickly gained traction online and reinforced his alignment with Trump’s hardline immigration stance. In other messages, he argued that voter ID laws are being intentionally misrepresented and suggested that funding IDs would eliminate what he described as “fake pretending” around voter suppression. He has also claimed he would personally pay for legal citizens to obtain voter identification if he were free.

Salame is currently incarcerated at a medium-security federal facility after pleading guilty in 2023 to campaign finance violations and operating an unlicensed money-transmitting business connected to FTX. Federal inmates are prohibited from accessing social media directly, leading to widespread belief that his posts are being published through third parties acting on his behalf, likely using phone calls or written correspondence, a common practice among high-profile inmates.

Several of Salame’s recent posts directly attack federal prosecutors, alleging coercion in his plea deal and claiming the Department of Justice misled him regarding investigations involving his wife. This narrative closely mirrors Trump’s long-standing criticism of the DOJ and claims of politically motivated prosecutions.

Salame’s messaging comes at a time when Trump has issued a series of high-profile pardons and commutations, including cases involving financial and crypto-related crimes. While Salame has not explicitly requested a pardon, the tone and consistency of his public statements strongly suggest he is positioning himself for potential clemency by aligning as closely as possible with Trump’s political agenda.