Washington, DC — President Donald Trump says he would consider issuing preemptive pardons to members of his administration before leaving office if they faced possible investigations under a future Democratic government.
Asked in a Time interview whether he would pardon officials who might later become targets of Democratic-led investigations, Trump replied, “Yeah, sure I’d do that.” He then pointed repeatedly to former President Joe Biden’s use of preemptive pardons before leaving office in January 2025.
Biden granted clemency to figures including Anthony Fauci, retired Gen. Mark Milley and members and staff of the House committee that investigated the Jan. 6 Capitol attack. He said the pardons were intended to protect public servants from potential politically motivated prosecutions and were not acknowledgments of wrongdoing.
Biden also pardoned several family members before leaving office, a decision that drew criticism from Republicans and some Democrats.
Trump has made expansive use of presidential clemency himself. Shortly after returning to office, he pardoned roughly 1,500 people charged or convicted in connection with Jan. 6 and commuted several additional sentences.
Trump did not identify which current officials might receive pardons or say that any final decisions had been made. His comments nevertheless raise the possibility of another broad use of presidential clemency before his second term ends.
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