In a recent interview, author Michael Lewis shared intriguing insights from his new book, "Going Infinite: The Rise and Fall of a New Tycoon," which chronicles the life of former FTX CEO Sam “SBF” Bankman-Fried. One startling revelation is that Bankman-Fried once considered offering Donald Trump $5 billion not to pursue the United States presidency again.
A Billion-Dollar Deterrent to Political Ambitions
Lewis claims that Bankman-Fried viewed Trump as a serious threat to American democracy and weighed the feasibility of a multibillion-dollar offer to dissuade him from running for office again. “The number that was kicking around was $5 billion,” noted Lewis, although it remains unclear whether this figure was suggested by Trump himself or was Bankman-Fried's calculation.
A Plan Unfolded Amid FTX’s Downfall
The alleged discussions regarding the monumental payoff were taking place around the time of FTX’s collapse. The plan, however, did not materialize as Bankman-Fried no longer possessed the funds necessary to execute such a bold maneuver. The aftermath of FTX's collapse is described by Lewis as a scene frozen in time, with employees abandoning their belongings in haste, marking a chaotic end to the company’s operations.
