Joe Maldonado-Passage, also known as Joe Exotic, has attempted to negotiate with Donald Trump from prison, asking the president to release him and his inmate fiancé Jorge Marquez. The star of the Netflix show Tiger King took to X late Monday night to make his case. Appearing to address Trump, whom he endorsed in the 2024 election, Maldonado-Passage attached a photo of the two convicted felons and wrote, “You could deport him at some point, but if you let me go, we’ll both go to Mexico, which will save you the cost of deporting him and allow you to take care of me.” He added: “No matter what happens, he’s my husband, and we’ll never abandon each other. This bond is that strong.” Maldonado-Passage announced his engagement to Marquez in Oct. 2024, adding that his next goal was to score a pardon from Trump. The American media personality operated The Greater Wynnewood Exotic Animal Park in Oklahoma and was sentenced to 22 years in prison in 2020 after he was convicted on a slew of charges. These include two counts of murder-for-hire when he tried to kill animal activist Carole Baskin, eight counts of violating the Lacey Act after falsifying wildlife records, and nine counts of violating the Endangered Species Act.
You could deport him at some point, but if you let me go, we'll both go to Mexico, which will save you the cost of deporting him and allow you to take care of me. No matter what happens, he's my husband, and we'll never abandon each other. This bond is that strong. pic.twitter.com/FYal90Tehz
