Sam Bankman-Fried aspired to become US President, says Caroline Ellison

The former CEO of crypto exchange FTX also reportedly explored paying off Donald Trump from running for U.S. President again.

Former FTX CEO Sam “SBF” Bankman-Fried had ambitions to become the President of the United States, according to his former girlfriend and business associate Caroline Ellison.

Appearing in court on Oct. 10 to testify against Bankman-Fried, Ellison reportedly said the former FTX CEO wanted to be the U.S. President in the future. The declaration followed the end of their personal relationship, while the two continued to work together at their respective leadership roles at Alameda Research and FTX until November 2022.

Ellison admitted to fraud during her time at Alameda at the direction of Bankman-Fried, claiming he “set up the systems” leading to the hedge fund taking roughly $14 billion from the exchange. Her testimony on the fifth day of SBF’s criminal trial was part of a plea agreement with prosecutors.

This is a developing story, and further information will be added as it becomes available.