SBF appears on Tucker Carlson from prison, plays the victim yet again – “I’m not a criminal”

FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried, better known as SBF, made another appearance from MDC Brooklyn correctional facility, where he has been locked up for two years since his trial in 2023.

In an interview with Tucker Carlson on Thursday, the convicted criminal tried, once again, to paint himself as a misunderstood genius who just made some bad decisions.

SBF called the prison environment “dystopian” but insisted he wasn’t in any physical danger. Instead, he complained about the lack of productivity, logistical issues, and being stuck in a room with 40 other inmates who have “nothing left to care about except trivial matters.”

Throughout the interview, SBF avoided responsibility, as per usual. He talked about how his legal work was nearly impossible to manage due to the prison’s chaotic schedule, waking up at 4 a.m. just to spend hours in holding cells and transport vans before getting back at 9 p.m. with no access to legal documents.

When asked what he does all day, SBF told Tucker that:

“I’ve read books. I’ve, you know, started reading novels again. I play some chess and I work on my legal case to the extent I can. You know, there is an appeal going on for me. There are other things I do what work I can from in here on that. But the lack of other meaningful things to spend my time on is one of the most kind of soul crushing things about prison.”

SBF addresses drug rumors and life with inmates

Tucker pressed SBF on his hyperactive behavior before his 2023 arrest, asking if he was high on Adderall during media appearances, as rumors had it back then.

SBF denied it, saying: “No, I wasn’t, but I was pretty out of it. My mind was racing because there were, you know, a billion things to keep track of.”

The convicted felon admitted that because he is autistic, he’s not very good at communicating, especially when FTX collapsed, and he got “swept up in details” instead of seeing the bigger picture.

When asked how life without digital access has affected him, SBF said he missed having access to the internet, but not for leisure—only for productivity. He complained about how hard it is to do anything meaningful in prison.

Tucker then pointed out that SBF looked healthier and less jittery, possibly because he was forced to step away from screens and stress. Tucker then asked, “So, like, have you made friends there? How are you hanging with Diddy? I think he’s in there with you.”

SBF confirmed that Sean “Diddy” Combs is in the same prison and has been “kind to people in the unit.” When asked how other inmates react to being locked up with two of the most famous prisoners in the world, SBF said some see it as an opportunity to meet people they normally wouldn’t, though he quickly added that he doesn’t think about prison that way.

SBF then shared an unexpected observation with Tucker. Apparently, a surprising number of ex-gangsters and armed robbers are good at chess, despite not speaking English or finishing school. With a laugh, SBF said he constantly loses games to them.

SBF talks about politics, money, and broken alliances

Despite donating millions to mostly Democratic political campaigns in 2021 and 2022, SBF was left to rot when he needed help the most. He admitted that, at first, he supported Biden and the Democratic Party, believing they would be the better choice for financial regulation. But after spending years in Washington, SBF was shocked by what he saw.

By late 2022, SBF claims he secretly started giving just as much money to Republicans, which he thinks may have backfired. He called former SEC Chair Gary Gensler a “nightmare”, saying the agency blocked crypto companies from registering, making it impossible for companies to comply.

When asked why he didn’t call in favors from political allies when facing charges, SBF said he didn’t want to do anything inappropriate and that many distanced themselves from him immediately, turning on him.

When Tucker asked if he had any money left, SBF said “basically, no.” He explained that FTX had $15 billion in liabilities and $3 billion in assets at the time of its collapse.

SBF has once again insisted that if FTX hadn’t gone bankrupt, everyone could have been repaid in full with extra billions left for investors. Instead, he blamed the bankruptcy process for making the situation worse, saying assets were “dissipated incredibly quickly” by those in charge, specifically John Ray III.

SBF says he was betrayed by his own people

According to SBF, nearly all of his former friends, colleagues, and allies abandoned him. He told Tucker that he received “nice messages” from people in D.C. right after the collapse, but by the time his trial started, no one wanted to be in contact with him.

SBF claimed that his co-founder, Ryan Salame, was pressured into pleading guilty after prosecutors threatened to charge his pregnant wife. He called the seven-year sentence given to Salame “disgusting” and accused the US government of operating in bad faith.

SBF also shared that none of his former employees have visited him in prison. Tucker asked if this experience had changed his views on effective altruism, the philosophy he once followed, where making money was supposed to help the most people possible.

SBF responded that he still believes in it, but he acknowledged that bad execution can make things worse. When asked about the future of crypto, SBF was cautiously optimistic. He said the industry still has potential, but the U.S. government’s regulatory approach is still uniquely obstructive.

SBF pointed out that only 5% of global crypto activity happens in America, despite the country having 30% of the world’s financial markets.

As the interview ended, Tucker joked about SBF’s new reality, saying he went from running a global crypto empire to trading muffins in prison. SBF admitted that muffins, ramen, and packaged fish serve as currency behind bars, but unlike crypto, they don’t scale. With a weak laugh, the FTX founder told Tucker, “You can’t do a $200 transaction in muffins. Like what? You know, like I mean, it doesn’t work physically, right? And it’s unwieldy. Yeah?”

When asked how he plans to spend his 33rd birthday, SBF said he doesn’t celebrate birthdays, especially not in prison. If he serves his full 25-year sentence, he will be 57 years old when released—but with potential reductions, he could be out in his late 40s, said SBF, so he’s not really interested in birthdays right now.

With a sad smile, SBF then admitted to Tucker that he wasn’t sure if he could survive that long, saying the hardest part is having nothing meaningful to do. Studies suggest that prison reduces life expectancy by three times, meaning SBF’s real-life expectancy could be closer to 40 years.

Meanwhile, SBF’s family has been calling on the pro-crypto president Donald Trump to pardon him like he did the crypto hero Ross Ulbricht. But so far, Trump hasn’t even shown any signs that he knows who SBF is.

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