The Josh Lafazan Show

The Josh Lafazan Show on YouTube - Episode 96

Episode Notes

Trump's PARDONS On Pace For Presidential Record: Who’s Received One?

The Josh Lafazan Show on YouTube - Episode 96

On this episode of The Josh Lafazan Show, Josh unpacks one of the most alarming trends of the Trump era: the rampant and corrupt abuse of presidential pardons. While every president issues pardons, Trump’s record is not just about numbers—it’s about the staggering misuse of this constitutional power to reward loyalty, protect his allies, and undermine the very idea of justice in America.

Here’s the reality:

🔹 Trump is issuing pardons at a historic rate.
With over 1,600 pardons already, Trump now ranks third all-time in number of pardons—surpassing almost every other president and on track to break FDR’s all-time record before 2028.

🔹 The pardons started early—and for all the wrong reasons.
Unlike past presidents who issued pardons at the end of their terms as acts of mercy or reconciliation, Trump started pardoning aggressively from the beginning—kicking off with 1,500 January 6th rioters, many of whom engaged in violent insurrection against the U.S. Capitol. Pardoning those who stormed our democracy—and those who encouraged or excused it—is an absolute betrayal of the rule of law.

🔹 It’s all about loyalty and money.
Trump’s pardons overwhelmingly go to people who:

From Paul Manafort to Roger Stone, Michael Flynn, Steve Bannon, and even right-wing figures like Dinesh D’Souza—Trump’s clemency has been less about justice and more about rewarding personal and political loyalty. Even billionaire donors like Michael Milken and bribery convict Ted Suhl found themselves back in favor, often after lobbying from Trump’s biggest campaign contributors.

As Josh explains, this is pay-to-play corruption at the highest levels, and it completely shatters the original purpose of the pardon power—which the Founders envisioned as a narrow tool for mercy, not a political weapon.

🔹 The Fiore pardon shows just how low this can go.
Trump’s recent pardon of Michele Fiore—convicted of scamming a memorial fund for fallen police officers to pay for her plastic surgery—perfectly captures the moral rot at the center of his pardon spree. It’s not about justice. It’s about rewarding loyalty and headlines.

🔹 It’s not just pardons—it’s an attack on constitutional norms.
Trump isn’t content with abusing his own pardon power. He’s now trying to undo the pardons issued by President Biden, including those for patriots like Adam Schiff, Liz Cheney, and Adam Kinzinger. This move is not just unprecedented—it’s blatantly unconstitutional.

 

 

In this episode, Josh lays out:

“If you have money or loyalty to Trump, you get a second chance. If you have neither, good luck. That’s not the rule of law. That’s the rule of corruption.”

Josh reminds listeners: we cannot normalize this. We must call it out, demand reform, and fight to protect the integrity of our justice system before it’s too late.