In a recent meeting, Donald Trump reportedly promised to grant pardons to several of his top officials. As per an insider with the knowledge, the President will reportedly announce the pardons before leaving office.
Donald Trump reportedly made huge promise about pardoning staff
According to a recent report by the Wall Street Journal, Donald Trump has promised to issue mass pardons to his top advisors before the end of his second term.
An anonymous source has reportedly heard the President state, “I’ll pardon everyone who has come within 200 feet of the Oval [Office].” The POTUS allegedly made the remark during a recent closed-door meeting in the White House. The statement reportedly drew laughter from across the room.
The report also cited a second source who has reportedly heard Trump make a similar remark in a prior conversation during the meeting, but limited it to a 10-foot radius. According to other insiders, the President has considered holding a news conference before leaving office, where he will announce the mass pardons.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt has responded to WSJ’s report about Trump’s statement. “The Wall Street Journal should learn to take a joke,” she said, adding, “However, the president’s pardon power is absolute.”
Trump has previously granted pardons to over 1,600 people during his time in office. On the first day of his second presidency, the POTUS issued unconditional pardons to 1,500 people who participated in and were charged in the January 2021 Capitol riots.
During a press conference at the time, the President stated that the rioters are “people who actually love our country, so we thought a pardon would be appropriate.”
Additionally, Trump pardoned former Binance CEO Changpeng Zhao in October 2025. The founder of the cryptocurrency exchange has previously pleaded guilty to money laundering charges. In an official statement, Karoline Leavitt said, “President Trump exercised his constitutional authority by issuing a pardon for Mr. Zhao, who was prosecuted by the Biden Administration in their war on cryptocurrency.”
Originally reported by Namrata Ghosh on Mandatory.
