Changpeng Zhao has applied for a U.S. presidential pardon.
He praised Trump’s business-style diplomacy and crypto support. Binance founder CZ has confirmed that he has formally applied for a U.S. presidential pardon. He announced this during the May 5 interview with Farokh Sarmad on the Rug Radio podcast. This marks the first time Zhao publicly acknowledged the pardon request.
Zhao explained that his legal team applied two weeks ago. He said the decision followed media speculation after reports from Bloomberg and the Wall Street Journal. According to Zhao, those reports pushed him to make the application official.
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Earlier, the Wall Street Journal claimed the Trump family sought a stake in Binance.US in exchange for Zhao’s pardon. Zhao denied those allegations, calling them fabricated and politically motivated. He stated on X that he had never met the Trump family and that the report was false.
Zhao emphasized that he has never communicated with Trump. He added that Binance, being a foreign entity, cannot donate to U.S. political campaigns. However, he expressed support for Trump’s crypto-friendly approach.
During the interview, Zhao praised Trump’s leadership style. He described Trump’s diplomacy as business-like rather than traditional political posturing. He said this method uses leverage and deal-making, which is common in the business world.
Despite his legal troubles, Zhao said he has no intention of returning as Binance’s CEO. He noted that the exchange has operated smoothly without his involvement. He remains the majority shareholder of Binance.US, and that status has not changed.
Additionally, Zhao shared his concerns about the memecoin market. He said memecoins attract too much attention despite offering little long-term value. Finally, Zhao predicted that the global crypto market cap could reach $5 trillion by year-end. He expects Bitcoin to hit between $500,000 and $1 million.
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