Jake Paulthe widely followed social media star turned professional boxer approved Donald Trump and urges his supporters to vote for the candidate – even though he himself is unable to vote in the 2024 US presidential election because he now lives in Puerto Rico.

In a YouTube video Published on Thursday, Paul told viewers they should “do your own research” and should not base their voting decision on “your favorite pop star telling you to vote a certain way”. But he said he hoped to encourage undecided viewers to vote for Trump to “literally save America.”

Paul, 27, compared Trump’s felony convictions to the situation America’s founding fathers faced in their fight for independence from the British crown. In May, a federal jury in New York found former president guilty of 34 counts linked to false invoices, checks and accounting entries relating to his huge money payments to porn star Stormy Daniels.

“Trump is called a ‘criminal,’ but remember the founders of this country were considered criminals by Britain because they demanded change,” Paul said in the video. “History shows that sometimes those who challenge the system are the ones who make a difference. »

“To be frank, I’m not worried about Donald Trump’s ‘character flaws’ or what he’s done in the past,” Paul said. “What concerns me is how good he is as president, because that’s his job and that’s what’s going to affect the people of this nation.”

Paul is set to face Mike Tyson in a boxing match streamed live on Netflix, with the event beginning on November 15 at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT from AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. “I’m putting my business, my career on the line during my prime to fight Mike Tyson…because I don’t care about the consequences,” Paul explained. He admitted that he was “nervous” and “scared” about making the video because of “what it means for my career, my life, people coming after me, no more accusations, no more unrest, more division potentially.”

In the nearly 19-minute video, Paul responds to the comment made by Tony Hinchcliffe at Trump’s Oct. 27 rally at Madison Square Garden that Puerto Rico was “a floating island of trash.” Hinchcliffe “made a bad joke,” Paul said, adding that “him talking about Puerto Rico wasn’t funny, and I wanted to highlight the fact that those are not Donald Trump’s views.” , Paul said, calling the island “the most beautiful place on Earth” and that “the people here are absolutely incredible.”

Trump has embarked on a strategy aimed at reaching young male voters. Last week, he appeared on Joe Rogan’s popular podcast “The Joe Rogan Experience” and in June, Trump recorded a podcast with Logan Paul, who is Jake’s older brother.