Trump is reportedly polling aides on whether he should pardon himself
President Trump is considering pardoning himself during his final days in office, The New York Times reported Thursday.
Trump has reportedly toyed with the idea for some time now, but discussions apparently started anew shortly before the president was recorded pressuring Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to "find" enough ballots to somehow swing the state's election in his favor. The talks also came before Trump encouraged his supporters to march to the Capitol on Wednesday, where hundreds broke into the building in an attempt to block Congress from certifying the presidential election results. "Trump allies believe that both episodes increased Mr. Trump's criminal exposure," writes the Times.
A president has never before attempted to pardon himself, and its not clear how such a move would withstand scrutiny in courts, though Trump has long maintained he has the power to do so. Even so, presidential pardons only apply to federal offenses and would not protect him from any potential charges on a state level. Trump has reportedly been polling aides for their opinions on the move, which is "typically a sign that he is preparing to follow through on his aims," writes the Times.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
White House counsel Pat Cipollone told Trump he could face legal exposure for telling his supporters to "fight" the election certification at the Capitol, reports the Times. The riot that followed left four people dead.
In addition to pardoning himself, Trump is also reportedly considering preemptive pardons for his eldest children and son-in-law Jared Kushner, as well as attorney Rudy Giuliani.
The Times writes Trump has "become increasingly convinced that his perceived enemies will use the levers of law enforcement to target him after he leaves office." Read more at The New York Times.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Summer Meza has worked at The Week since 2018, serving as a staff writer, a news writer and currently the deputy editor. As a proud news generalist, she edits everything from political punditry and science news to personal finance advice and film reviews. Summer has previously written for Newsweek and the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, covering national politics, transportation and the cannabis industry.
-
Why scientists are attempting nuclear fusionThe Explainer Harnessing the reaction that powers the stars could offer a potentially unlimited source of carbon-free energy, and the race is hotting up
-
Crossword: October 27, 2025The Week's daily crossword
-
Sudoku medium: October 27, 2025The Week's daily medium sudoku puzzle
-
Proposed Trump-Putin talks in Budapest on holdSpeed Read Trump apparently has no concrete plans to meet with Putin for Ukraine peace talks
-
Bolivia elects centrist over far-right presidential rivalSpeed Read Relative political unknown Rodrigo Paz, a centrist senator, was elected president
-
Madagascar president in hiding, refuses to resignSpeed Read Andry Rajoelina fled the country amid Gen Z protests and unrest
-
Sanae Takaichi: Japan’s Iron Lady set to be the country’s first woman prime ministerIn the Spotlight Takaichi is a member of Japan’s conservative, nationalist Liberal Democratic Party
-
Israel, Hamas agree to first step of Trump peace planSpeed Read Israel’s military pulls back in Gaza amid prisoner exchange
-
Israel intercepts 2nd Gaza aid flotilla in a weekSpeed Read The Israeli military intercepted a flotilla of nine boats with 145 activists aboard along with medical and food aid
-
Japan poised to get first woman prime ministerSpeed Read The ruling Liberal Democratic Party elected former Economic Security Minister Sanae Takaichi
-
Israel and Hamas meet on hostages, Trump’s planSpeed Read Hamas accepted the general terms of Trump’s 20-point plan, including the release of all remaining hostages
