Joe Exotic, aka Joseph Maldonado-Passage, is well-known for having been the subject of the Tiger King documentary series. Now, however, Joe Exotic has announced his plans to be on the ballot for the 2024 presidential election.
This may be surprising news for those aware of Exotic and his history. Among other things, particularly because he’s serving time in federal prison. But Exotic doesn’t intend to let that keep him from placing his presidential bid.
As revealed in his own campaign message, “you might think this is a joke,” he writes, “but it’s not.” Here’s the complete statement:
“Thank you for your interest in my Campaign. Yes, I know I am in Federal Prison and you might think this is a joke but it’s not. It is my Constitutional right to do this even from here.
I have been put here only because of the corruption in the Department of Justice, three felons that were told how to life under oath to further this agenda, two corrupt Assistant U.S. Attorneys, two corrupt FBI Agents, and one corrupt Federal Wildlife Agent.
As seen by the evidence at www.joeexoticusa.com/evidence, you can see that they have admitted to perjury and they even had a plot to kill me before they set me up. I hope that you would take the time to educate yourself before judging me any further than most of you already have, because this campaign and my life, I have not, and will not, judge you. That is why I am doing this, to finally give you a voice and your freedom back without fear of living in a country that thinks they own you and can tell you how to live your life.
The only think I did was put five very old, crippled tigers to sleep in the most humane way possible and it was approved by my USDA Inspector, so it’s time to get over it. PeTA kills thousands of animals a year. Carole has killed over 226 big cats and most of you eat some kind of animal everyday, so it’s time to move past this issue.
I am here because I have a world platform to make these politicians listen to your and my concerns and give us some answers for once because all they do is lie to all of us, take our hard earned money calling it taxes, and give it away to foreign countries without them giving us anything back.”
Joe Exotic further acknowledges some of the controversial elements of his past. In fact, he believes this is why he’d be a great choice for the presidential election. As he writes:
“So put aside that I am gay, that I am in prison for now, that I used drugs in the past, that I had more then one boyfriend at once and that Carole hates my guts. This all has not a thing to do with me being able to be your voice. The best thing you have going for supporting me is that I am used to fighting my whole life just to get by. I am broke, they have taken everything I ever worked for away, and it’s time we take this country back,”
Of course, given that Joe Exotic is currently serving a 21-year federal sentence following multiple convictions, it’s unlikely that his campaign will have any real momentum. But it’s certainly fascinating to see that he’s managing to place his own presidential bid even while in prison.
Stay tuned to ScreenGeek for any additional updates regarding Joe Exotic and those involved with the situations depicted in Tiger King as we have them.