In a controversial development, US President Donald Trump has announced that he does not know Binance founder Changpeng Zhao (CZ), who was recently pardoned by him. The unexpected comment came during Trump’s interview with CBS’s 60 Minutes on November 2, 2025, and has shocked and angered the crypto community and political critics. Changpeng Zhao pleaded guilty in 2023 to violating US anti-money laundering laws and served four months in prison as part of a $4.3 billion settlement with the government. However, when asked why he was pardoning him, Trump said, “I don’t know him.”
Host Nora O’Donnell reminded Trump that Zhao’s Binance platform facilitated a $2 billion purchase of the Trump family’s crypto project, WLFI, but Trump ignored the connection. The interview has raised questions about the timing and motivation for the pardon, especially since funds in the UAE had used Binance to buy shares in a crypto project linked to the Trump family before the pardon was announced. Now, Democratic senators and politicians are calling for a possible investigation into foreign influence and abuse of presidential power.
