FTX’s Ryan Salame Goes Full MAGA in Bid for Trump Pardon

Former Ryan Salame, a onetime co-CEO of FTX, has launched a highly visible social media campaign that appears aimed at securing a presidential pardon from Donald Trump, despite currently serving a federal prison sentence.

Over recent weeks, Salame’s X account has posted a stream of politically charged messages praising Republican priorities, attacking Democrats, and aligning closely with Trump’s rhetoric on immigration enforcement and election integrity.

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Getting on Donald Trump’s Good Side

In one post, Salame said that if granted clemency, he would “spend the remainder of my sentence working as an ICE agent,” a comment that quickly went viral. 

In another, he argued voter ID laws were being misrepresented and suggested that funding IDs would “end the Democrats’ fake pretending” about voter suppression. 

He is also promising to pay for legal citizens to get IDs to vote, for those who can’t afford. Only if he were free. 

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How is Salame Posting From Prison?

Salame is currently serving a 90-month federal sentence at a medium-security US Bureau of Prisons facility. 

In 2023, he pleaded guilty to campaign finance violations and operating an unlicensed money-transmitting business connected to FTX. 

But how is he constantly posting on X from prison? Federal inmates are prohibited from accessing social media directly.

As a result, his posts are widely understood to be published via third parties acting on his behalf, typically based on phone calls, written correspondence, or pre-approved messaging — a common workaround used by high-profile inmates.

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Attacking Prosecutors, Echoing Trump Themes

Several posts directly attack federal prosecutors, including claims that he was coerced into a plea deal and that the Department of Justice misled him about investigations involving his wife. 

Salame has repeatedly framed his prosecution as politically motivated — language that mirrors Trump’s broader criticism of the DOJ.

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Trump’s High-Profile Pardons

Salame’s public posture comes amid Trump’s recent wave of pardons and commutations, including several tied to crypto and financial crimes.

Those moves have reshaped expectations around clemency, particularly for defendants who argue their prosecutions reflected regulatory overreach.

Trump has also intensified ICE enforcement actions and revived claims that Democrats — including President Joe Biden — undermined election integrity, themes Salame now openly amplifies.

While Salame has not explicitly requested a pardon, the messaging leaves little ambiguity. 

From prison, the former FTX executive appears to be making a public case for inclusion on Trump’s clemency list. He is aligning himself with the president’s political agenda as aggressively as possible, one post at a time.