Messari CEO Ryan Selkis Steps Down After Pro-Trump Comments

Messari CEO Ryan Selkis will step down from his role at the crypto research company after making inflammatory remarks regarding immigration and Donald Trump online, the crypto founder announced late Friday morning.

Messari CEO Ryan Selkis Steps Down, Critiques Anti-Donald Trump Sentiment

“I’ve decided to step aside from my operating CEO role at Messari and transition to the role of Senior Advisor,” Selkis wrote. “This was a decision I did not take lightly and one I was very close to making last month, as I considered the problems I was most passionate about tackling in society at large.”The crypto research company’s Chief Revenue Officer Eric Turn will take over Selkis’ position. Selkis’ resignation comes after he posted several concerning remarks against those who do not support Republican nominee Donald Trump shortly following his assassination attempt at a campaign rally last Saturday July 13 in Butler, Pennsylvania.

Some recent tweets from the founder and CEO of a prominent cryptocurrency company. pic.twitter.com/3ZjJvP0isw

— Molly White (@molly0xFFF) July 18, 2024

“Anyone who votes against Donald Trump at this point can die in a f—ing fire. Literal war,” he said in a July 13 X post.

In an X post published on the same day, the digital asset entrepreneur alleged that “the civil war for the country” had begun.

“If you are anti-Trump you are against the men who are willing to fight,” he said. “Good luck.”

In another post, he replied to an individual who had immigrated to the United States that they “are not entitled to citizenship” and hoped the country would “send” them “back,” sparking public outrage.

Selkis “Ran Too Hot” In X Posts

On Thursday, Selkis issued a formal apology for his behavior, saying that he “ran too hot” exercising his political views online after meeting with Messari leadership. “On a personal level, I was horrified at the attempted assassination of President Trump this past Saturday, and have been disgusted at the media and administration’s abject failures at pressing for answers in the attack’s aftermath, as well as their failure to tamp down divisive rhetoric that contributed to the attack in the first place,” Selkis said. “ I will be channeling all of my energies into addressing the underlying issues that have led to these systemic problems in our institutions.”Selkis has long been active in conservative politics and has previously rallied against what some members of the crypto community see as executive overreach by the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) in regards to its regulation-by-enforcement approach to digital assets. However, it remains to be seen what other consequences the crypto tycoon could potentially face for his discriminatory remarks.