Trump on why he pardoned Binance CEO: “Are you ready? I don’t know who he is.”

Trump Admits to Lacking Knowledge of Binance CEO, Pardoned Amid Controversy.

In a recent interview with CBS correspondent Norah O'Donnell on 60 Minutes, President Trump expressed his puzzlement over why he pardoned Binance's former CEO Changpeng Zhao, who pleaded guilty to violating anti-money laundering laws.

According to Trump, the president "didn't know who" Zhao was and only knew that he had received a four-month sentence. However, this assessment seems at odds with the fact that Trump has been actively courting Zhao's company, Binance, for months prior to his pardon.

Binance, which operates a separate exchange for US customers, reportedly facilitated a $2 billion purchase of World Liberty Financial's stablecoin and has played a key role in advancing the growth of the cryptocurrency market. This lucrative deal appears to be directly linked to Trump's decision to grant Zhao a presidential pardon, sparking concerns about potential conflicts of interest within the Trump family.

During the interview, Trump maintained that his sons, Eric and Donald Jr., are more involved with crypto than he is, but claimed he "knows very little" about it. He went on to say that he views cryptocurrency as a "huge industry" and expressed support for its growth in America.

Despite the lack of knowledge about Zhao's conviction, Trump did express sympathy for the Binance CEO, labeling him a "victim" of what he described as a "vicious, horrible group of people" within the Biden administration. This stance seems particularly perplexing given that the pardon was granted just weeks after it became public that Binance had helped facilitate the purchase in question.

When asked about potential ties between his family business and crypto operations, Trump's responses were vague but emphasized the importance of his sons being involved. The president further stated that he believes China is likely to overtake America as a leader in cryptocurrency if nothing is done to support its growth domestically.

Overall, the pardon of Changpeng Zhao has sparked controversy surrounding potential conflicts of interest within the Trump family and raises questions about President Trump's knowledge of and involvement with key figures in the cryptocurrency industry.
 
I'm still trying to wrap my head around this 🤯. So Trump is saying he didn't know who CZ was but was like "oh cool, let me just pardon this guy" 🤑. And now we're wondering if his sons are just like "hey dad, can I have a piece of the crypto action?" 🤝 It's also wild that he thinks China is gonna take over crypto in America and not even know that Binance was involved in that $2 billion deal 🚨. The lack of transparency around these pardons is giving me major layout anxiety 😬 - how can we trust what's going on behind the scenes? Can someone please make a flowchart to illustrate this whole mess?
 
I'm kinda surprised by this whole pardon deal 🤔... like, Trump was literally clueless about who Binance's CEO was? And then he goes on to praise the guy and say China is gonna take over crypto if we don't support it? It just doesn't add up, you know? He's always talking about how his sons are into crypto more than him, but when it comes down to actually knowing who's behind Binance... crickets 🐦. And what's with the "vicious group of people" thing? Is he really gonna start blaming Biden's admin for everything now? It just smells like a cover-up to me 😒.
 
OMG u guyz 🤯 Trump is literally clueless 🙄 about what he just did! Like, he's talking about how he doesn't know who Binance CEO is and that's why he pardoned him? 🤷‍♂️ But like, we all know he's been trying to get his hands on crypto for ages 💸 and now it's like he's playing catch-up 🕰️. I mean, what even is the point of having a presidential pardon if you don't even know who you're pardoning? 🤔 And btw, Trump saying his sons are more into crypto than him? 😂 please, like, we all know that's not true! Eric and Donald Jr are just trying to ride their dad's coattails 💁‍♀️. Anyways, I'm low-key worried about this whole situation tho 🤕
 
I'm low-key worried that this whole Binance thing is just a case of Trump putting his own financial interests ahead of national security concerns... I mean, if China is going to take over the crypto game, are we really sure we're not just handing them a massive advantage? And what's with all these vague answers from Trump about his sons' involvement in crypto? It sounds like he's trying to spin this as less of a personal issue and more of a "family affair"... but let's be real, when the head of the family is involved, it's always gonna be a problem...
 
I'm so worried about this! 🤯 I don't get how he can just pardon someone without knowing who they are or what they did? It sounds like a huge conflict of interest to me... especially since his sons are involved too 😬. And I don't think it's cool that he's trying to spin it as if he didn't know anything about Binance's CEO. Like, come on, Mr President! You're the one who signed the pardon, not Norah O'Donnell 🙄. How can you expect us to trust your judgment when you can't even get this simple thing right? 😕
 
🤔 I'm really confused by this whole thing. If Trump didn't know who Binance CEO was, how did he even consider pardoning him? It just seems like a pretty convenient excuse to me... And what's with all the vague answers about his sons being involved in crypto? 🤷‍♂️ Either way, I think it's super suspicious that there's such a strong link between Binance and the Trump family. $2 billion is a lot of money! 💸
 
idk how he can claim not know who changepeng zhao is lol 😂 he's been courting binance for months and gets a 4 month sentence and just happens to pardon him? it sounds like trump is getting paid off, but idk if thats even possible in the us 🤔 or does he really think his sons are more involved than he is with crypto? their track record on that doesn't exactly scream transparency...
 
omg i'm literally dying over here 🤯 like how can trump claim he didn't know who changepeng zhao was when he's been all over social media with him like months ago?!?! i mean i get it, maybe he's really clueless about crypto but come on, even my grandma knows that binance is a big deal 💸. and what's up with the pardon? is trump just trying to butter up his friends or something? 🤔 also, china overtaking america in crypto? no thanks, usa all the way ⚡
 
I mean come on... 🤯 this whole thing just feels like a mess 🚮. I'm not sure what's more puzzling, the fact that Trump didn't know who Binance's CEO was or that he's still courting his company despite knowing about its shady past 😂. It's clear that his sons are more into crypto than he is, so can we just have a straight answer from him? 🤷‍♂️

And yeah, I get it, China might be a threat in the crypto space, but do we really need Trump to weigh in on this? It feels like a classic case of him trying to position himself as a "crypto leader" rather than actually doing his homework 💼. At the end of the day, it's all just about the Benjamins, right? 🤑
 
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