Joe Exotic, the ostentatious star of Netflix’s hit 2020 docuseries Tiger King, has long begged Donald Trump to free him from prison—but now he’s asking for a position in his next administration, too.
In a letter he sent to the president-elect, which he shared with RadarOnline, the former exotic animal park owner, who faces 12 more years in prison, admits he was “scared as hell” that Kamala Harris would win the presidency.
“A lot of people went to bat for you in 2021 who have been living in hell ever since then,” the former exotic animal park owner writes. “Everyone hopes you keep the promises you made during your campaign, which include pardoning everyone sooner than later in January 2025.”
Upon his release, Exotic wants to sign on to Trump’s administration as the Federal Fish and Wildlife Director, a position in which he hopes to bring about reform.
“It is time to bring some honesty to this department because the former director, Dan Ash, only looked out for himself and his position within the Association of Zoos and Aquariums,” Exotic alleged, adding, in parentheses: “He used his federal position to put me out of business and in prison to benefit his non-profit, the AZA.”
Exotic also claimed that “hundreds of millions of dollars” are wasted within the federal agency and that the Endangered Species Act was being used to “create illegal monopolies.”
Although he has doled out a slew of cabinet positions to some of his most faithful allies, Trump has yet to publicly address Exotic’s request to join the team or the prospect of a pardon.
In 2020, Exotic was sentenced to 22 years in prison for hiring someone to kill his professional rival Carole Baskin, for violating the Endangered Species Act by killing tigers and selling them across state lines, and for falsifying wildlife records. His feud with Baskin featured prominently in the first season of Tiger King.
Exotic and his legal team also claim that they have new evidence that exculpates the one-time park owner, but so far they have failed to secure a new trial.
It’s not the first time Exotic has implored Trump for a pardon. After a campaign for clemency during the once and future president’s first term, Trump joked that he would “take a look” at freeing the infamous animal lover, but it never came to fruition.
As part of his redoubled efforts to secure a Trump pardon, Exotic shared a Daily Beast article suggesting that he had a long-shot chance for a get-out-of-jail-free card on his X account.
“Trump you got to make my Pardon Happen in January,” he wrote.
