President Donald Trump has used his second term to issue pardons and clemency to political allies as well as a broad range of other individuals.
On his first day back in office, Trump issued sweeping pardons for those tied to the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol. In November, he also moved preemptively to pardon several political allies, including Rudy Giuliani, former chief of staff Mark Meadows, and attorneys Sidney Powell and John Eastman, even though none were facing federal criminal charges at the time.
Altogether, Trump has pardoned or commuted the sentences of more than 1,600 people during his second term, on top of the 237 acts of clemency he issued during his first term. That pace far exceeds his early first-term record, when he granted just one pardon and one commutation in his first year, with roughly half of his first-term pardons coming on his final day in office in 2021.
Trump pardons and commutations: Notable acts of clemency in his second term
While handing out get-out-of-jail-free cards, Trump has framed his actions as a response to what he claims is a politicized and weaponized justice system. Here’s a look at five of his most controversial pardons of 2025:
Ross Ulbricht
Trump pardoned Ross Ulbricht, creator of Silk Road, an underground website for selling drugs, on his first full day in office.
Ulbricht, known as “Dread Pirate Roberts,” was arrested and sentenced to life in prison in 2015 for his role in facilitating illegal markets. He was 31 years old when he was convicted of distributing narcotics, engaging in a continuing criminal enterprise, conspiring to commit computer hacking, and conspiring to create fake identities and launder money.
In an indictment, former U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara described Silk Road as a meeting place for criminals hoping to “buy and sell illegal drugs and other illicit goods and services anonymously and outside the reach of law enforcement.”
In a January Truth Social post, Trump pushed back on those assertions and said it was a pleasure to sign a full and unconditional pardon of Ulbricht.
“The scum that worked to convict him were some of the same lunatics who were involved in the modern day weaponization of government against me,” Trump wrote. “He was given two life sentences, plus 40 years. Ridiculous!”
The president had promised to help Ulbricht during a speech at the Libertarian Party National Convention in May 2024.
Changpeng Zhao
Changpeng Zhao, founder of Binance, the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange, was pardoned by Trump in October. Zhao was sentenced to four months in prison in April 2024 after pleading guilty to violating money laundering laws. Zhao and Binance have been key supporters of the Trump family’s crypto enterprises.
“Deeply grateful for today’s pardon and to President Trump for upholding America’s commitment to fairness, innovation, and justice,” Zhao posted on social media.
Trump, however, downplayed his relationship with Zhao, telling reporters that he had never met the crypto king but that “he was recommended by a lot of people.”
“A lot of people say that he wasn’t guilty of anything,” Trump said. “He served four months in jail, and they say that he was not guilty of anything.”
George Santos
Former New York Republican Rep. George Santos was sentenced in April to seven years in federal prison after pleading guilty to fraud and identity theft charges.
Santos admitted to deceiving donors and stealing the identities of nearly a dozen people, including family members, to make illegal donations to his campaign. He reported to a minimum-security prison in New Jersey housing fewer than 50 other inmates in July. He was out by October.
“George Santos was somewhat of a ‘rogue,’ but there are many rogues throughout our Country that aren’t forced to serve seven years in prison,” Trump posted on Truth Social. He said he had “just signed a Commutation, releasing George Santos from prison, IMMEDIATELY.”
“Good luck George, have a great life!” Trump said.
Santos complained about life in lock up, regularly writing for the South Shore Press, a Long Island newspaper. He also pleaded to Trump to get him out of prison, citing his loyalty to the president’s agenda and the GOP.
“Sir, I appeal to your sense of justice and humanity — the same qualities that have inspired millions of Americans to believe in you,” Santos wrote. “I humbly ask that you consider the unusual pain and hardship of this environment and allow me the opportunity to return to my family, my friends, and my community.”
Santos was sworn into the U.S. House of Representatives in 2023 under a cloud of suspicion, involving skepticism of his credentials and campaign expenditures.
He was first busted by the New York Times for embellishing his background and lying about his family, religion, education, work experience, sexuality, and perhaps even an animal rescue charity he allegedly founded.
A House Ethics Committee report found Santos spent donations from his supporters on products from Sephora, luxury trips, and OnlyFans subscriptions.
Juan Orlando Hernandez
Trump raised eyebrows in December when he pardoned Hernandez, the president of Honduras from 2014 to 2022, who was serving a 45-year sentence in a West Virginia prison. Hernandez was involved in a drug trafficking operation that moved more than 400 tons of cocaine into the United States.
The two-term president was extradited to the United States and arrested in 2022 after he left office. He was convicted in March 2024 after a jury trial and sentenced in June 2024.
His release came just days after Honduras’s presidential election.
Trump defended his decision aboard Air Force One, telling reporters Hondurans believed Hernandez had been “set up.”
Hernandez’s pardon faced extra scrutiny because it came amid the Trump administration’s aggressive efforts to target Latin American drug traffickers accused of trying to smuggle drugs into the U.S.
Henry Cuellar
Trump pardoned sitting Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-TX) in December. Cuellar was indicted in 2024 on bribery and money laundering charges. Cuellar, who describes himself as a conservative Democrat, thanked the president in a social media post for his “tremendous leadership” and praised him for “taking the time to look at the facts.”
In a Truth Social post, Trump said he never spoke to Cuellar, his wife, or his daughters, but felt good about “fighting for a family that was tormented by very sick and deranged people – They were treated sooo BADLY!”
TRUMP RIPS CUELLAR’S ‘LACK OF LOYALTY’ FOR RUNNING AS DEMOCRAT IN REELECTION BID AFTER PARDON
That feeling turned icy a few days later when Cuellar filed to run again as a Democrat, something that seemed to take Trump by surprise.
Zapata County Republican Chairwoman Jennifer Thatcher told the Texas Tribune she was shocked when she heard about the pardon. She added that by pardoning Cuellar, the president removed a line of attack Republicans were prepared to use against him in next year’s midterm elections.
