All you need to know whether Joe Exotic is running in the Presidential Elections and why was he convicted.
Joe Exotic has publicly declared his intention to run for president of the United States in 2024. The hero of Netflix’s popular docuseries Tiger King, a convicted criminal, is presently serving a 21-year jail term after being found guilty of various offenses connected to a murder-for-hire conspiracy against environmentalist Carol Baskin, as well as other Endangered Species Act breaches.
The Tiger King actor said on Wednesday that he will run for president of the United States in 2024 as a member of the Libertarian party. You may think this is a joke, but rest assured it’s all very serious, he said in a statement on his campaign website.
Despite the fact that Joe Exotic became well-known thanks to the Netflix hit, the quirky wildlife trafficker’s notoriety is the result of a long history of horrifying crimes against both humans and animals. Joe was found guilty of murdering at least five tigers without a permit, selling illegal animals, and engaging in the hit-and-run murder of Baskin.
His criminal history hasn’t done anything to win the people over. Instead, the release of Tiger King sparked a fresh surge of advocacy for stronger laws and safeguards for animal rights. Congress approved the Big Cat Safety Act in December of last year, outlawing cub petting businesses like the one managed by Joe as well as private breeding of exotic feline species.
He states in his campaign platform that he “gives a damn what color you are, where you come from, who you sleep with, whether you have ever used drugs, or if you have made a mistake and ended up in prison or placed there because someone lied about you.” His platform, which is based on his long-held libertarian beliefs, calls for reforms to the criminal justice and prison systems, the IRS to be shut down, term limits to be put in place, the end of complete immunity for federal agents, and the requirement that illegal immigrants pay $50 per month to avoid deportation.
Joe Exotic, also known as Joseph Allen Maldonado-Passage, was born in Garden City, Kansas, on March 5, 1963. He was raised in a farming household and developed a love of animals from an early age. Prior to working as a zookeeper, he performed as a magician, a country singer, and a police officer.
The Greater Wynnewood Exotic Animal Park in Wynnewood, Oklahoma, was established by Joe Exotic in 1999. Tigers, lions, and bears were among the exotic species in the park’s collection, which was well-known. With his colorful style, his appearances in local news segments, and his own web series, “Joe Exotic TV,” Joe Exotic rose to fame.
Joe Exotic unsuccessfully sought the office of governor of Oklahoma in 2011 as an independent candidate. He also made an independent run for president of the United States in 2016, but he did not get enough support to be taken seriously.
Carole Baskin, an animal rights activist, and owner of Big Cat Rescue in Florida, launched a campaign against Joe Exotic in 2013 and accused him of mistreating and abusing animals. Joe Exotic reacted by attacking Baskin in a series of YouTube videos, labeling her a hypocrite, and charging her with murdering her missing husband, Don Lewis.
2019 saw the arrest of Joe Exotic and the filing of 17 federal charges against him, including two counts of murder-for-hire. The accusations were related to many alleged animal welfare breaches at his zoo as well as an alleged conspiracy to have Baskin murdered. He was found guilty on all charges and given a 22-year jail term in January 2020.
Joe Exotic gained widespread recognition when the Netflix documentary series “Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem, and Madness,” which was broadcast in March 2020, became a global sensation. The show explores the conflict between Joe Exotic and Carole Baskin as well as the US exotic animal breeders and owners’ subculture. Joe Exotic has appealed for a pardon or commuting of his sentence and has been diagnosed with prostate cancer in addition to his legal issues.
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