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Trump on pardon spree again: Why he defies political gravity
President Donald Trump's latest wave of pardons shows he is not only continuing but intensifying a strategy from his first term: using pardons as both a reward for supporters and a tool to show his power. In the last days of May 2025, Trump issued numerous pardon and shorter prison sentences (commutations) to people like political allies, rich donors, famous people and others who support his views.
Some of the people Trump pardoned included former Representative Michael Grimm (who was convicted of tax evasion), rapper NBA YoungBoy (who was convicted on gun and drug charges), former Connecticut Governor John Rowland and others connected to Trump's political world or causes.
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This unapologetic use of presidential power shows that Trump pays scant regard to political gravity and seems to face few consequences for it. His actions don't just repeat what he did before—they go further. They show that being loyal or useful to Trump may matter more for getting a pardon than showing regret, being rehabilitated, or having a fair reason.
Constitutional muscle of presidential mercy
The US Constitution grants presidents sweeping clemency powers: Article II, Section 2 allows the president to 'grant reprieves and pardons for offences against the United States, except in cases of impeachment'.
There are no required procedures or oversight mechanisms—no Congressional veto, no judicial review. Traditionally, this power is exercised with great caution, often following a lengthy review process via the Department of Justice's Office of the Pardon Attorney.
Historically, presidents have reserved controversial pardons for the final days of their terms attempting to insulate themselves from political fallout. Gerald Ford's pardon of Richard Nixon in 1974, Bill Clinton's pardon of financier Marc Rich in 2001 and even Joe Biden's preemptive clemency for his son and political allies fall into this pattern. Trump has shattered that precedent.
Trump's current use of pardons shows almost no regard for this tradition. He is not only issuing pardons mid-term and in full public view, but he is doing so repeatedly, even defiantly, reinforcing a broader narrative: that the justice system is corrupt when it targets his allies—and legitimate only when it serves his interests.
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Allies, donors and ideological symbols
This month's clemency spree includes a familiar cast: convicted politicians, conservative media personalities, donors and even reality TV stars with connections to Trump-world. Grimm, the former New York Congressman who pled guilty to tax fraud, had long argued his prosecution was politically motivated. Trump's pardon of Grimm was explicitly framed as a correction of what the president calls 'a weaponised justice system'.
Former Governor Rowland of Connecticut, another recipient, was convicted of public corruption not once but twice, and yet Trump used his pardon power to rehabilitate him. NBA YoungBoy (Kentrell Gaulden), who was convicted on gun charges and involved in prescription drug fraud, also benefitted—despite no prior political affiliation with Trump—after lobbying efforts by Alice Marie Johnson, now Trump's 'pardon czar'.
Johnson, herself a former inmate whose sentence Trump commuted in 2018, now plays a visible role in granting clemency, further politicising a process that once operated largely behind closed doors.
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Perhaps most controversially, Trump spared reality TV personalities Todd and Julie Chrisley, convicted of orchestrating a $30 million bank fraud scheme. Their daughter, Savannah Chrisley, who had actively campaigned for Trump and addressed the 2024 Republican National Convention, was reportedly notified directly by Trump during a phone call captured on video in the Oval Office.
These examples speak to a pattern: Trump's clemency is most often extended to those who are part of his political narrative or who serve a function in bolstering his personal mythology. Whether it's a Maga-friendly sheriff, a wealthy donor's son or media figures aligned with his ideology, the common thread is unmistakable.
Rewriting of political norms
Most presidents fear backlash from granting clemency to controversial figures. Trump, however, seems not only immune to such repercussions but emboldened by the conflict they generate. This is in part because Trump has spent years reframing the justice system as inherently politicised—particularly when it comes to his allies.
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Trump's former interim US attorney, Ed Martin, now acts as his pardon attorney and recently declared 'No Maga left behind' on social media. This slogan, while clearly partisan, also implies a loyalty-based framework for justice. Trump, in this view, is not just a president but a protector of his political community and the pardon power is one of his most potent tools.
In practice, this has meant pardoning over 1,500 January-6 defendants, many of whom were convicted of violent crimes against police officers. It's a radical act that has redefined what presidential clemency can be: not just an act of mercy, but a gesture of tribal solidarity.
Public polling after those pardons showed overwhelming disapproval among Americans, with 83 per cent opposing clemency for violent offenders from the Capitol riot. But inside Trump's base, such moves are often celebrated as retribution against a biased state apparatus.
Political capital and the cost of clemency
One of the most striking aspects of Trump's pardon spree is the apparent absence of political cost. Traditional political wisdom suggests that using presidential pardons for self-serving or partisan purposes invites scandal, backlash or electoral punishment. Trump's presidency challenges this assumption.
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His core supporters remain steadfast, interpreting his actions through a lens he has carefully constructed over years: that he is a victim of 'deep state' persecution and so are his allies. When Trump extends pardons to convicted criminals who support him—or are supported by people who support him—he is praised for fighting back and the 2024 election showed he was not penalised for vowing to pardon those tried to shake up the democratic fundamentals of the US.
This phenomenon is especially visible in the case of Paul Walczak, a nursing home executive who pleaded guilty to tax crimes. His mother, Elizabeth Fago, a prominent GOP fundraiser and Trump ally, reportedly used a $1 million-per-person fundraising dinner at Mar-a-Lago as a platform to advocate for her son's clemency. Within three weeks of the event, Trump signed the pardon, American media reported. The narrative here is not just one of corruption—it's the transformation of transactional politics into clemency policy.
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Blurring of mercy and favouritism
Trump's use of the pardon power has increasingly resembled a rewards system—akin to political patronage. The beneficiaries are disproportionately white-collar criminals, political operatives, wealthy donors and ideologically aligned actors. This isn't to say every pardon lacks merit, but the merit appears secondary to the political message.
In this context, the pardon of James Callahan, a labour union leader convicted of failing to report over $300,000 in gifts, reflects a symbolic outreach to traditionally Democratic constituencies. Trump also pardoned Ross Ulbricht, the founder of Silk Road, a decision that appealed to libertarian voters—a demographic Trump targeted during his 2024 campaign.
Even the seemingly non-political acts—like commuting the sentence of gang leader Larry Hoover, months after Biden pardoned Hoover's deputy—carry an implicit message: that Trump can be as bold and even more magnanimous than his opponents. In politics, symbolism often outweighs substance and Trump's team appears well aware of this.
Reshaping the role of clemency
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More than any modern president, Trump has fundamentally altered the perception and function of clemency. Once regarded as an instrument of last resort, granted quietly and with grave consideration, pardons under Trump are now spectacle. They are televised, tweeted and marketed to constituencies.
The elevation of Alice to the role of pardon czar—and her televised involvement in clemency decisions—reinforces the public relations nature of Trump's approach. When the pardon process becomes content for campaign narratives or tools of political signalling, it raises profound questions about the health of the democratic system.
Limits of accountability
Trump's latest round of pardons confirms what has become increasingly clear: political gravity, as traditionally understood, no longer applies to him. Most politicians would fear the optics of pardoning convicted felons, reality TV stars or riot participants. Trump embraces it, spinning each clemency grant into a statement of loyalty, grievance or triumph over what he calls a 'corrupt system'.
If anything, his use of the pardon power has only intensified with time, extending from the mere absolution of crimes to the reinforcement of political identity. Each pardon sends a message—not just to the individual receiving it, but to Trump's base, his enemies and to the institutions he aims to delegitimise.
Whether this strategy remains sustainable beyond his presidency—or whether it permanently redefines the bounds of presidential power—remains to be seen. What is clear, however, is that Trump has made the pardon a political weapon — not the first US president to do so but unlike many of his predecessors, he is wielding this power with unmatched boldness and precision, and so far, escaping any serious political penalty.
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