President Donald Trump indicated Wednesday that he is willing to grant clemency to members of his own administration, drawing a parallel to actions taken by his predecessor.
In an interview with TIME magazine published on October 1, 2026, the president addressed questions regarding whether he intended to issue pardons before leaving office. He responded affirmatively, stating, “Yeah, sure, I’d do that.”
Trump justified his potential actions by pointing to former President Joe Biden’s controversial decision to issue blanket pardons to several relatives and administration officials. The former president argued that those grants were motivated by concerns that the individuals might face political retribution after leaving office.
“He gave pardons to everyone,” Trump said of Biden’s actions, suggesting a precedent for protective measures taken by outgoing leaders.
The comments were part of a broader discussion on executive clemency powers and political accountability.
Pardoning staff openly before leaving office? That seems like an open admission of guilt to me.
I did not realize Biden pardoned so many people. That changes the whole context for me.
Is this really about accountability or just shielding allies? The precedent argument sounds convenient.
Wow, doubling down on precedents like this feels like a real erosion of norms. Hope we are not missing something important here.