Trump Vows to Pardon Everyone Near the Oval Office, Doubling Down on Abuse of Pardon Power

In a stunning admission of his intent to abuse the presidential pardon power, President Donald Trump has reportedly told White House staff he plans to pardon “everyone who has come within 200 feet of the Oval Office,” according to The Wall Street Journal. Another source told the paper Trump said he’d pardon anyone who came within 10 feet. This is not an offhand comment but a recurring claim made by Trump in multiple meetings, underscoring the seriousness of his pledge.

The White House dismissed the statements as jokes, with press secretary Karoline Leavitt telling reporters, “The Wall Street Journal should learn to take a joke, however, the President’s pardon power is absolute.” But this so-called “joke” follows a long pattern of Trump using the pardon power to shield allies, cronies, and political operatives from accountability.

Trump’s pardon list already reads like a rogues’ gallery: convicted drug trafficker and former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernández, dark web drug dealer Ross Ulbricht, Texas Representative Henry Cuellar, and nearly every January 6 rioter who faced prosecution. These pardons are not acts of mercy or justice but blatant rewards for loyalty and political alignment.

This reckless use of pardons starkly contrasts with Trump’s criticism of former President Joe Biden, who pardoned some family members and officials targeted by Republicans before leaving office. Trump even declared Biden’s pardons “VOID, VACANT, AND OF NO FURTHER FORCE OR EFFECT” because they were issued via Autopen, a baseless claim with no legal standing. Yet Trump’s own pardons, many granted under dubious circumstances, remain untouched.

The implications are dire. Trump’s vow to pardon everyone near the Oval Office signals a final purge of accountability, a last-ditch effort to protect himself and his inner circle from legal consequences. It is a brazen assault on the rule of law and a clear message that loyalty to Trump trumps justice.

As Trump prepares to exit the White House, we face the grim reality of an outgoing president weaponizing his constitutional powers to shield wrongdoing and undermine democratic norms. This is not just about pardons—it is about the erosion of accountability and the dangerous precedent it sets for future administrations.

Only Clowns Are Orange will continue to track and expose these abuses of power, holding the Trump administration accountable for its corrosive impact on democracy.