Biographer Unpacks SBF’s Plot to Buy off Trump for $5B

Biographer Michael Lewis spills the beans on how Sam Bankman-Fried contemplated buying off Donald Trump.

Donald trump staring at a landscape filled with gold and other treasure as far as the eye can see.
Created by Gabor Kovacs from DailyCoin
  • The Big Short Author reveals another side of SBF.
  • The embattled crypto mogul wanted to keep Trump away from the presidency.
  • SBF also wanted to splurge millions to defeat senatorial candidates aligned with Trump.

Disgraced FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried (SBF) once contemplated whether it would be legal to buy off Donald Trump’s presidential bid and how much it would cost, according to biographer Michael Lewis.

The “Big Short” author averred this, among other revelations, with reference to his upcoming book: “Going Infinite: The Rise and Fall of a New Tycoon,” whose release is slated for October 3, the same day SBF begins his trial.

Plot to Buy Off Trump

In an excerpt of the book shared by the Washington Post, SBF contemplated doing a lot in the upcoming 2024 U.S. elections, including paying Donald Trump to forfeit his presidential bid because he thought the former president was a threat to democracy.

Sponsored

“His team had somehow created a back channel into the Trump operation and returned with the not terribly Earth-shattering news that Donald Trump might indeed have his price: $5 billion. Or so Sam was told by his team.” Lewis wrote.

According to Lewis, Bankman-Fried intended to bankroll Republican Senator Mitch McConnell’s campaign with $15 million to $30 million to enable the politician to defeat the “Trumpier” candidates in Senatorial elections.

Lewis, who says he has encountered the fallen crypto mogul more than 100 times over two years, also made damning revelations about SBF’s management skills and laid-back personality.

Mismanagement Failings at FTX

In an October 1 interview with CBS News 60 Minutes, Lewis narrated how poor corporate governance and the tenure of Bankman-Fried led FTX to file for bankruptcy in November 2022.

Per the biographer, SBF’s friends inside FTX believed that “he wasn’t built to manage people,” and his subpar management skills were evident in the fact that he never even knew the names of other members of the board of directors.

On another occasion, SBF allegedly met the Prime Minister of The Bahamas to discuss how he could pay off the country’s $10 billion national debt when FTX was relocating from Hong Kong.

Stay updated on how SBF’s trial will go down:
Here’s How SBF’s Trial Will Go Down

Read how SBF’s dad is accused of misusing FTX funds:
Here’s How SBF’s Dad Recklessly Misused FTX Funds

This article is for information purposes only and should not be considered trading or investment advice. Nothing herein shall be construed as financial, legal, or tax advice. Trading forex, cryptocurrencies, and CFDs pose a considerable risk of loss.

Author
Brian Danga

Brian Danga is a crypto reporter at DailyCoin covering breaking news. Brian has minor holdings in Bitcoin and Ethereum.

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