Pardon me, Trump

Published November 29, 2024 5:25am ET



It’s a long-standing tradition for outgoing presidents to issue pardons just before inviting their successors over to the White House for tea. For better or worse, President-elect Donald Trump has little regard for tradition, making it likely he won’t wait until early 2029 to forgive his supporters’ legal transgressions.

Most experts believe Trump will come into office on Jan. 20, 2025, replacing retiring Democratic President Joe Biden, with a sack of immediate pardons ready for issuance and distribution. There’s an ample lineup of convicted felons banged up on federal charges stemming from the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol who eagerly await Trump’s inauguration. But they aren’t the only candidates looking forward to what could be one of the busiest pardoning sprees ever seen early in a presidency.

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