Trump Says He Would Consider Pardoning Administration Officials Before Leaving Office

President Trump suggested he would be willing to pardon members of his administration before leaving the White House, saying he would consider using his presidential clemency powers if he believed officials faced the possibility of politically motivated prosecutions after his term ends.

Trump made the comments during a wide-ranging interview with Time published Thursday. Asked whether he would consider issuing pardons to members of his administration before leaving office, Trump responded that he would be willing to do so.

The president pointed to former President Joe Biden’s decision to issue preemptive pardons to several family members and other figures shortly before leaving office in January 2025. Trump has repeatedly criticized those pardons while arguing they established a precedent that future presidents may consider when protecting officials from potential prosecutions.

Trump did not identify specific members of his administration who could receive pardons. He also did not indicate that any decision had been made, leaving open the possibility that the issue would be considered closer to the end of his presidency.

The Constitution gives presidents broad authority to grant pardons for federal offenses, including before a person has been formally charged or convicted. Presidential pardons do not cover state crimes, and a president cannot prevent state or local prosecutors from pursuing cases within their jurisdictions.

Preemptive pardons have been used by presidents before. Gerald Ford famously pardoned Richard Nixon for any federal crimes Nixon may have committed while president, even though Nixon had not been charged with a crime.

Biden expanded the use of preemptive pardons during his final hours in office. His actions covered members of his family as well as several public officials and figures who he said could face politically motivated investigations after Trump returned to power.

Trump has frequently argued that members of his administration and political allies could eventually face the same type of investigations that targeted him after his first term. He has maintained that federal law enforcement was weaponized against him and his supporters, allegations disputed by his political opponents and some former Justice Department officials.

Any pardons issued by Trump would apply only to federal offenses and would not automatically imply that recipients had committed crimes. The Supreme Court has long recognized the president’s constitutional pardon authority as extensive, although its exact boundaries have occasionally generated legal debate.

For now, Trump’s comments represent a willingness to consider pardons rather than an announcement of a formal clemency plan. With more than two years remaining in his current term, the president has not said when he would make such decisions or who, if anyone, would ultimately receive them.