President Trump Reveals No Pardon for SBF in the Works

Trump Says No Pardon For SBF Despite Ongoing Efforts

Trump has struck down the rumor of pardons for several relevant names, including FTX’s founder and former CEO, Sam Bankman-Fried (SBF), and Sean Combs, AKA Diddy.

During a recent interview with The New York Times, Trump stated that he had “no intention” of pardoning Sam Bankman-Fried, who was convicted in 2023 after the demise of FTX, one of the largest cryptocurrency exchanges at the time.

At the interview, Trump revealed that he had received a letter from Sean Combs, in which he asked Trump for a pardon for his 50-month sentence linked to prostitution charges.

In 2025, reports indicated that SBF’s parents, Stanford Law School Professors Joseph Bankman and Barbara Fried, were seeking avenues to get close to Trump and leverage influence to reach the pardon goal.

In January 2025, legal advisor Jeffrey Grant told Bloomberg that they had been hearing about this move. “They are looking for somebody who knows somebody,” he stated.

This approach accounts for the large number of pardons that Trump has given since he assumed office, including high-level crypto-related individuals such as Binance founder Changpeng Zhao, Bitmex co-founder Arthur Hayes, and Silk Road creator Ross Ulbricht.

Trump also defended his change of heart regarding crypto, claiming he “got a lot of votes because I backed crypto, and I got to like it.” He reinforced that the U.S.’s push for crypto was in opposition to China. “China wanted it, and one of us was going to get it,” he concluded.

The Trump family has been criticized for its involvement with several crypto companies, including World Liberty Financial, obtaining profits of over $1 billion from token sales.

Read more: FTX Co-Founder Sam Bankman-Fried Seeks Retrial, Alleges Legal Errors

FAQ

• What did Trump say about pardoning Sam Bankman-Fried?
  Trump confirmed he has “no intention” of pardoning Sam Bankman-Fried, the convicted founder of FTX.

• What recent request did Sean Combs make regarding a pardon?
  Trump revealed that Sean Combs, also known as Diddy, requested a pardon for his 50-month sentence related to prostitution charges through a letter.

• What efforts have Sam Bankman-Fried’s parents made concerning a pardon?
  Reports suggest that Bankman-Fried’s parents are attempting to influence Trump for a pardon by networking and seeking connections.

• How has Trump expressed his support for the cryptocurrency industry?
  In the interview, Trump stated that his backing of crypto helped him gain votes, emphasizing a competitive stance against China in the crypto space.