MacKenzie Sigalos writes by way of CNBC: Sam Bankman-Fried, the alleged crypto prison who stands accused of masterminding one of many largest monetary frauds in U.S. historical past, was considering paying Donald Trump $5 billion not to run for president, in line with best-selling creator Michael Lewis. In an interview with CBS’s “60 Minutes” that aired on Sunday, Lewis mentioned the FTX founder needed to place a cease to a Trump White Home run in 2024 over fears that the previous president was a risk to democracy. Lewis traces the rise and fall of the crypto entrepreneur in his newest guide, “Going Infinite,” which comes out on Tuesday, the identical day Bankman-Fried’s first prison trial will get underway in New York.
“Sam’s pondering, ‘We might pay Donald Trump to not run for president. Like, how a lot wouldn’t it take?'” Lewis mentioned. “He did get a solution. He was floated — there was a quantity that was kicking round. And the quantity that was kicking round after I was speaking to Sam about this was $5 billion. Sam was undecided that quantity got here immediately from Trump.” Based on Lewis, Bankman-Fried’s ambition to derail Trump’s presidential marketing campaign in the end went nowhere, partially as a result of he wasn’t positive if his proposal was authorized. Additionally, his crypto empire imploded in November 2022, wiping out Bankman-Fried’s billions of {dollars} of wealth.
