Ryan Selkis, the founder and CEO of Messari, a prominent crypto data platform, is known for his candid and often incendiary social media presence. This week, however, his comments crossed a line, leading to an intervention from Messari’s leadership team.
Selkis, backed by notable firms such as Mike Novogratz’s Galaxy Digital and hedge-fund titan Brevan Howard, has never shied away from expressing his views, often directing sharp criticism towards the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and its chair, Gary Gensler. Yet, his recent outbursts following an assassination attempt on Donald Trump have stirred considerable controversy.
“Just had a terrific ‘tough love’ session with Messari leadership, and I can’t tell you how much I appreciate people who approach me in good faith and help rein me in because they know my vision and where my heart is,” Selkis posted on Thursday. “I ran too hot this week, and will address that in full soon.”
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Selkis’s incendiary remarks included a deleted tweet stating, “Anyone that votes against Trump at this point can die in a f*cking fire,” and another declaring, “The Civil War for the country started today, and if you are anti-Trump you are against the men who are willing to fight. Good luck.”
The day following the assassination attempt, Selkis continued his tirade, tweeting about the necessity of violence in self-defense and invoking historical references to unity achieved through decisive victories in 1776, 1860, and 1942. His posts echoed anti-immigration sentiments, questioning an X user about their citizenship status and hoping for their deportation.
Selkis also shared a graphic image of a bloodied Trump juxtaposed with a famous photo of then-President Barack Obama and current President Joe Biden in the Situation Room during the operation that killed Osama bin Laden. In another post, he implied a physical resemblance between Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Trump’s assailant, using the discredited practice of physiognomy.
When contacted by a CoinDesk journalist, Selkis declined to elaborate on his controversial posts. Despite his aggressive online persona, Selkis remains a pivotal figure in the crypto industry, especially in the wake of Sam Bankman-Fried’s diminished influence in Washington.
Selkis spoke earlier this year at Trump’s NFT gala at Mar-a-Lago, reinforcing his alignment with the former president. Following the leadership intervention at Messari, Selkis promised fewer tweets and more long-form content, aiming to channel his rage more constructively.
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