Joe Exotic Is Convinced Trump Will Pardon Him And Has A Limo Ready To Pick Him Up From Jail
"He hasn’t had his hair done in 2 1/2 years. That’s the first order of business. Then we’ll probably go and get some pizzas, steak, maybe a McRib.”
Tiger King‘s Joe Exotic is expecting to be pardoned for attempted murder and counts of animal abuse on President Donald Trump’s last day in office — to the point that he has a limo and beauty team on standby.
Exotic (aka Joseph Allen Maldonado-Passage), who rose to worldwide notoriety thanks to Netflix’s 2020 docu-series Tiger King, is currently serving a 22-year service on two accounts of attempted murder of ‘conservationist’ Carole Baskin, as well as 17 charges of animal abuse. Around the height of Tiger King cultural peak, Trump’s son Donald Jnr. said he was lobbying his father to pardon him, leading Trump to hint that he would consider it.
Clearly, Exotic’s held onto the small glimpse of hope, with the private investigator in charge of his case telling press that they have “good reason to believe [the pardon] will come through.”
“This time tomorrow, we’re going to be celebrating,” Eric Love told Metro on Monday. “…We’re confident enough we already have a limousine parked about half a mile from the prison. We are really in action mode right now.”
Love wasn’t being hyperbolic. Photos of the “monster ram truck” limousine are circulating online, in pictures that truly feel emblematic of the Trump era as a whole — a gauche display of wealth, celebrity, and whiteness, where brazen circumventions of the law are celebrated.
It’s since been confirmed that the limousine isn’t literally waiting outside the prison, but outside his lawyer’s office.
This is the stretch Limo standing by at #JoeExotic Fort Worth Lawyers office. I’m told they’re waiting on a call from the White House confirming the presidential pardon before heading to pick him up at the prison. @CBSDFW pic.twitter.com/1tJzQHefxD
— Ken Molestina (@cbs11ken) January 19, 2021
Joe Exotic's legal team tell me they are "100% confident" Trump will pardon the 'Tiger King' from his 22-year criminal sentence. Here's the 38ft "Monster Ram Truck Limo" they've reserved to pick him up. They plan to grab some McRibs immediately after. pic.twitter.com/mK69eGLiBV
— Greg Walters (@thegregwalters) January 19, 2021
Trump is expected to pardon 100 people on his last day as president, including supporter Lil Wayne, who was charged with weapon possession in December 2019. It’s possible Trump may even pre-emptively pardon himself, his family, and close political allies.
With the list ever-shifting in the eleventh hour, it’s unclear whether Exotic will be included, but Love says they already have celebration plans ready.
“I’ve got makeup, wardrobe, the whole unit that will come up,” he said. “The first thing Joe wants to do he wants his hair done. He hasn’t had his hair done in 2 1/2 years. That’s the first order of business. Then we’ll probably go and get some pizzas, steak, maybe a McRib.”
When asked why he thinks Trump will pardon Exotic, Love provides a pretty convincing argument: spite against Joe Biden.
“I think the president has sided with us, and I believe it will take most of the limelight away from President-elect Joe Biden,” he said.
Reactions to Exotic’s confidence in the pardon range from jokes to abject terror. Find a few below, while we wait to see what Trump does in his final moments of his presidency.
Why would Trump pardon Joe Exotic and give himself a serious challenger in the 2024 GOP primary
— Populism Updates (@PopulismUpdates) January 19, 2021
The idea that joe exotic thinks he’s getting a pardon is hilarious. Tiger King just reminds me of Quarantine week 2, get that shit AWAY from me, we’re on week FORTY FOUR LMAO
— FINNEAS (@finneas) January 19, 2021
Honestly, Joe Exotic almost deserves a presidential pardon, since he did more to get us through the beginning of the pandemic than the President. https://t.co/fOSS5WtMyM
— Frank Lesser (@sadmonsters) January 20, 2021
Me refreshing the feed checking if Trump will pardon Joe Exotic pic.twitter.com/I05aKPewpA
— Beans in (slim fit) jeans (@__realhumanbean) January 19, 2021
Joe Exotic trying to get that Trump pardon like: pic.twitter.com/GcVlsDxhmB
— The Cinema Syndicate Podcast (@CinemaSyndicate) January 19, 2021
Joe Exotic’s 4th Husband pic.twitter.com/IKrT96mCs3
— Rich O'Toole (@RichOToole) January 19, 2021
Carole Baskin and her husband if Joe Exotic gets a pardon today #TigerKing pic.twitter.com/Apcv8QM627
— Nick (@95_burton) January 19, 2021
Don't pardon Joe Exotic, just make a Tiger King sequel with ChelseaBoy from Drag Race Holland instead pic.twitter.com/LEf9F0IPEC
— Alex (@alexlduffy) January 19, 2021