Trump: "I don't know" Binance founder he pardoned

[douglas9]

President Trump claimed he didn't know who crypto exchange founder Changpeng Zhao was in an interview aired Sunday, less than two weeks after he pardoned him.

Why it matters: The pardon sparked bipartisan criticism, aggravated by the reported connections between the Trump family's crypto empire and Zhao's Binance.

Driving the news: Asked during his sit-down with CBS News' "60 Minutes" why he pardoned CZ, Trump replied, "Okay, are you ready? I don't know who he is."

https://www.axios.com/2025/11/03/trump-binance-founder-pardon-60-minutes-changpeng-zhao

[underpants]

1. I thought the "stable genius" knew everything

[dweller]

2. Biden needs to come on

And say Pisswig used the autopen

😐



✌🏻

[vapor2]

3. He and Mikey don't know shit so why don't they just resign?

[LetMyPeopleVote]

4. MaddowBlog-'I don't know who he is': Trump struggles to defend one of his most scandalous pardons

The president said that he pardoned Changpeng Zhao despite not knowing who he is. If he’s lying, that’s a problem. If he wasn’t, it’s worse.

Trump: President Autopen was so far gone, he didn’t even know who he was pardoning.

Also Trump: I can’t explain my corrupt pardon for Changpeng Zhao because I have no idea who he is. www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddo...

— Steve Benen (@stevebenen.com) 2025-11-03T13:03:03.476Z

https://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/maddowblog/-dont-know-trump-struggles-defend-one-scandalous-pardons-rcna241547

A week later, the president sat down with CBS News’ Norah O’Donnell for a “60 Minutes” interview, and the correspondent offered Trump another opportunity to explain what appeared to be a brazenly corrupt pardon. After having had a week to think about it, he still didn’t have much of an answer.

O'DONNELL: Why did you pardon Changpeng Zhao?

TRUMP: Are you ready? I don't know who he is

O'DONNELL: His crypto exchange Binance helped facilitate a b purchase of World Liberty Financial's stablecoin. And they you pardoned him.

TRUMP: Here's the thing -- I know nothing about it

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar.com) 2025-11-03T00:56:08.488Z

.....The president replied, “OK, are you ready? I don’t know who he is.”

....“Well, here’s the thing, I know nothing about it because I’m too busy,” the Republican replied, adding, “I know nothing about the guy.”....

Complicating matters further, the White House and much of the Republican Party is heavily invested in the idea that Joe Biden was so impaired during his presidency that he signed pardons — or, more to the point, used an autopen to sign pardons — without knowing anything about the beneficiary of the clemency.

Indeed, during the same “60 Minutes” interview, Trump argued, “Biden didn’t have a clue. He illegally used, as you know, a machine, the autopen, in order to give pardons to people.”

The smear is ugly and baseless, but it’s also become a political dilemma of sorts for the president slandering his predecessor. On the one hand, Trump wants the public to believe Biden didn’t know who he was pardoning. On the other, Trump also wants the public to believe that he pardoned Zhao, despite having no idea who he is.

The Republican and his team have had plenty of time to work out a coherent set of talking points on this. That they’ve failed speaks volumes.