Joe Exotic welcomed a newly indicted Trump to the 'party' of presidential candidates charged with crimes

• Joe Exotic welcomed Donald Trump to the club of presidential candidates charged with crimes.

• "Former President Trump now that you have been indicted- Welcome to the party!" Exotic wrote on Instagram.

• Exotic launched his long-shot presidential campaign in March from behind bars.

Reality TV star Joe Exotic has enthusiastically welcomed former President Donald Trump to the club of 2024 presidential candidates charged with crimes.

The "Tiger King" star took to Instagram to welcome Trump to the "party" after Trump was indicted on Thursday.

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg is investigating Trump's role in an election-eve hush money payment made to the adult film actress, Stormy Daniels. Trump is expected to be arraigned on Tuesday.

Exotic, whose real name is Joseph Allen Maldonado, wrote on Instagram on March 31: "Former President Trump now that you have been indicted- Welcome to the party!"

"Trump should have to go to arraignment in an orange jumpsuit and shackles and be humiliated just like the rest of is have been, innocent or not," Exotic wrote in a separate Instagram post.

Exotic is serving a 21-year sentence in an Atlanta prison over his role in a murder-for-hire plot. Exotic was convicted in 2019 of scheming to kill his rival and "Tiger King" co-star, Carole Baskin.

Exotic in 2020 tried and failed to get a presidential pardon from Trump before the latter left office.

Despite being in prison, Exotic announced on Twitter in March that he had launched a long-shot 2024 presidential bid.

"So put aside that I am gay, that I am in prison for now, that I used drugs in the past, that I had more than one boyfriend at once, and that Carole hates my guts," Exotic wrote on his official campaign website. "This all has not a thing to do with me being able to be your voice."

Exotic's sentiments about Trump potentially having to serve time in prison echo that of the former Trump lawyer and fixer, Michael Cohen.

Cohen gloated during a Thursday interview on CNN about how Trump may soon join him in the ranks of convicted felons.

"Oh by the way for Donald, since we're talking about convicted felons, see you on Tuesday, pal," Cohen said, referring to the day that Trump is expected to be arraigned.

Representatives for Exotic and Trump did not immediately reply to Insider's requests for comment sent outside regular business hours.

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