(RightWing.org) – Joseph Maldonado, also known as Joe Exotic and “The Tiger King,” may be a convicted felon serving 22 years in prison for animal abuse and his role in a murder-for-hire plot, but that hasn’t stopped him from making his voice heard. He recently tossed his hat in the ring to run against President Joe Biden and others for the Democratic nomination in 2024.
The former media personality purchased the JOEEXOTIC2024.COM domain in early 2023. On June 13, he set up a GoFundMe page and announced his decision to run for president as a Democrat. He advised that his platform would focus on prison reform and criminal justice. He also noted that he hoped to restore “common sense” governance that allows citizens to live free from tyranny. He also said he supported leveling the playing field so that working-class Americans could enjoy the same perks as the nation’s wealthy elite.
On July 3, Breitbart News published excerpts from a phone interview with Maldonado from his current residence at FMC Fort Worth, a federal medical center and detention facility operated by the US Bureau of Prisons.
Maldonado bragged that he had built a coalition within the nation’s prison system. “There’s over 160,000 federal inmates… and over two million people incarcerated” overall in the US. “I could win this,” he added. He confirmed he was running as a Democrat because he thought he could shift the party to a more neutral ground. He said he supports abortion but also stands behind gun rights and the right to own private property. “I kind of [have] everybody in one basket,” he explained.
However, as Breitbart explained, there’s at least one flaw with Maldonado’s reasoning. Currently, 15 states bar felons from voting until they complete their prison, parole, and probation terms, including key swing states like Wisconsin, North Carolina, and Georgia. Likewise, nine states, like Arizona and Iowa, ban convicts from voting altogether.
Copyright 2023, RightWing.org
