Joseph Passage-Maldonado, also known as Joe Exotic, has wanted to be in celebrity status all his life. He ran for president in 2016 and ran for Oklahoma Governor in 2018. Apparently, he was not successful in either. He is currently serving a 22-year sentence for animal cruelty and a murder-for-hire scheme.
His faithful followers stand strong and united to fight for his freedom. They show their support by figuratively shouting from the rooftops.
That shouting may have grabbed the attention of an influential person. Even though Passage-Maldonado was not successful in his presidential bid, it seems his fans have garnered the attention of the one and only, President Donald Trump.
At a press conference about COVID-19 with the president, New York Post reporter Steve Nelson tried to lighten the mood by changingthe subject to the “TigerKing,” a documentary about Joe Exotic and his love for exotic animals and men.
“One of the biggest rating hits of the coronavirus, other than these briefings, has been a show on Netflix called Tiger King,— Nelson said at the conference.
“The man who’s the star of this is a former zoo owner who’s serving a 22-year prison sentence. He’s askingyou for a pardon, sayinghe was unfairly convicted. Your son yesterday jokingly said that he was going to advocate for it, and I wondered if you had seen the show and if you have any thoughts on pardoning Joe Exotic.”
President Trump bantered back and forthwith Nelson for a bit, asking questions about the show and the main character. Trump admitted that he had not had time to watch the show yet. However, he did say he would “look into it.”
Joe Exotic fans should not get their hopes up, because Trump mentioned the incident in a Tweet.
“Ok this is hilarious. Also credit to the reporter who acknowledged I was joking. Normally they knowI’m joking but run with it as though I’m serious. @realDonaldTrump. “Sounds like Don... had to be Don” -#TigerKing.”
It looks as if the president was only having fun.