• Latest
  • Trending
  • All
  • News
  • Business
  • Lifestyle
Trump Asked If He Would Consider Pardon for ‘Tiger King’ Star Joe Exotic Amid Crisis

Trump Asked If He Would Consider Pardon for ‘Tiger King’ Star Joe Exotic Amid Crisis

April 9, 2020
DAVID BLACKMON: The OBBBA Resets The Energy Policy Playing Field

DAVID BLACKMON: The OBBBA Resets The Energy Policy Playing Field

July 5, 2025
MANDY GUNASEKARA: Puerto Rico Saw The Light — Why Won’t Honolulu?

MANDY GUNASEKARA: Puerto Rico Saw The Light — Why Won’t Honolulu?

July 5, 2025
MATT MOWERS: After NATO Summit, Europe’s Free Ride Is On The Line

MATT MOWERS: After NATO Summit, Europe’s Free Ride Is On The Line

July 5, 2025
JENNY BETH MARTIN: A Socialist Victory – And A Warning For America’s 249th Birthday

JENNY BETH MARTIN: A Socialist Victory – And A Warning For America’s 249th Birthday

July 4, 2025
Trump Says Friday Is Elon Musk’s ‘Last Day, but Not Really’

Musk Continues Push For America Party

July 4, 2025
Trump Signs ‘Big, Beautiful Bill’ Into Law

Trump Signs ‘Big, Beautiful Bill’ Into Law

July 4, 2025
Lee Greenwood on ‘God Bless the USA’ Legacy: ‘That’s Where Patriotism Starts’

Lee Greenwood on ‘God Bless the USA’ Legacy: ‘That’s Where Patriotism Starts’

July 4, 2025
Trump Seeking Military Costumes for Parade

Trump Lambasts Dems Who Voted Against ‘Big, Beautiful Bill’

July 4, 2025
WILL SELLERS: Misunderstanding The Road To Independence

WILL SELLERS: Misunderstanding The Road To Independence

July 4, 2025
Dems’ ‘Project 2029’ May Not Actually Bode Well For Party’s Future

Dems’ ‘Project 2029’ May Not Actually Bode Well For Party’s Future

July 4, 2025
BRILYN HOLLYHAND: Gen Z, It’s Time We Start Acting Like We Deserve The Freedom We Inherited

BRILYN HOLLYHAND: Gen Z, It’s Time We Start Acting Like We Deserve The Freedom We Inherited

July 4, 2025
Dem Eyes House Seat That Swung Nearly 20 Points To Trump

Dem Eyes House Seat That Swung Nearly 20 Points To Trump

July 4, 2025
  • Donald Trump
  • State of the Union
  • Elon Musk
  • Tariffs
  • Congress
  • Faith
  • Immigration
Sunday, July 6, 2025
  • Login
IJR
  • Politics
  • US News
  • Commentary
  • World News
  • Faith
  • Latest Polls
No Result
View All Result
IJR
No Result
View All Result
Home IJR

Trump Asked If He Would Consider Pardon for ‘Tiger King’ Star Joe Exotic Amid Crisis

by Madison Summers
April 9, 2020 at 8:40 am
in IJR
235 17
1
Trump Asked If He Would Consider Pardon for ‘Tiger King’ Star Joe Exotic Amid Crisis
491
SHARES
1.4k
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

President Donald Trump was asked an unexpected question during the White House’s coronavirus press briefing.

During Wednesday’s press briefing, a New York Post reporter asked the president if he would consider a pardon for Joseph Maldonado-Passage, known as Joe Exotic.

Maldonado-Passage was found guilty in January for a 2017 murder-to-hire plot to kill an animal rights activist, Carole Baskin.

He was “found guilty of nine counts of violating the Endangered Species Act” and “convicted on another eight counts of violations to the Lacey Act for falsifying wildlife records for ‘interstate’ transactions,” as NBC News reports. The former wildlife park owner was sentenced to 22 years in federal prison.

Asked if he would consider a pardon for the Netflix star of the documentary series “Tiger King,” Trump said, “I don’t know, I know nothing about it.”

The reporter pointed out Trump’s son, Donald Trump Jr., recently spoke about this during an interview on SiriusXM’s “Jim Norton and Sam Roberts” radio show. Donald Trump Jr. joked about lobbying for a pardon for “Joe Exotic,” though he noted that he did not “even know exactly what he was charged with.”

The reporter continued to discuss the topic with the president, to which the president responded, “Do you think he didn’t do it? Are you on his side? Are you recommending a pardon? As a reporter, you’re not allowed to do that, you’d be criticized by these [other journalists].”

President Donald Trump then turned to another reporter to ask, “Would you recommend a pardon?” The reporter responded, “I’m not weighing in.”

“I’ll take a look,” the president then said.

See the exchange below:

When asked if he would pardon Joe Exotic, the incarcerated star of the Netflix documentary series “Tiger King,” Pres. Trump says he “knows nothing about” it, but will “take a look.” https://t.co/neRtDMrRZT pic.twitter.com/SyrDJ7R8DK

— CBS News (@CBSNews) April 8, 2020

The question by the reporter during the time of a pandemic drew reaction on Twitter, including from MSNBC’s Joy Reid.

Is someone asking Trump about Tiger King during a White House briefing during a national emergency? Who the hell just asked that?

— Tom Nichols (@RadioFreeTom) April 8, 2020

Still processing the fact that some reporter at the latest "presidential coronavirus briefing" actually asked Trump if he would pardon the guy from Tiger King. This season of The Presidential Apprentice is really awful.

— Joy-Ann (Pro-Democracy) Reid ? (@JoyAnnReid) April 9, 2020

“Still processing the fact that some reporter at the latest ‘presidential coronavirus briefing’ actually asked Trump if he would pardon the guy from Tiger King,” Reid wrote. “This season of The Presidential Apprentice is really awful.”

Tags: Donald TrumpDonald Trump JrJoseph Maldonado-Passage
Share196Tweet123
Madison Summers

Madison Summers

IJR, Editor-in-Chief She's been with Independent Journal Review since 2018.

Advertisements

Top Stories June 10th
Top Stories June 7th
Top Stories June 6th
Top Stories June 3rd
Top Stories May 30th
Top Stories May 29th
Top Stories May 24th
Top Stories May 23rd
Top Stories May 21st
Top Stories May 17th

Join Over 6M Subscribers

We’re organizing an online community to elevate trusted voices on all sides so that you can be fully informed.





IJR

    Copyright © 2024 IJR

Trusted Voices On All Sides

  • About Us
  • GDPR Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Service
  • Editorial Standards & Corrections Policy
  • Subscribe to IJR

Follow Us

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
No Result
View All Result
  • Politics
  • US News
  • Commentary
  • World News
  • Faith
  • Latest Polls

    Copyright © 2024 IJR

Top Stories June 10th Top Stories June 7th Top Stories June 6th Top Stories June 3rd Top Stories May 30th Top Stories May 29th Top Stories May 24th Top Stories May 23rd Top Stories May 21st Top Stories May 17th