US President Donald Trump has announced that he signed pardons for six people who, according to him, were jailed or were being sent to prison simply for fixing their car. Trump shared the announcement in a post on his social media platform Truth Social, framing it as an example of overreach during the Biden administration.
What Trump posted
Posting from his account @realDonaldTrump on Truth Social, Trump said it was his Great Honor to have just signed pardons for six people who, in his words, were persecuted by the Biden Administration and were either already in prison or being sent there for fixing their car. He acknowledged that the reasoning sounds ridiculous but insisted it was nevertheless a fact.
Trump's exact words
It is my Great Honor to have just signed Pardons for six people who were persecuted by the Biden Administration, and were in, or being sent to, prison, for “fixing their car.” While I know this sounds ridiculous, it is nevertheless a fact, and part of the Weaponization and Stupidity that our Country had to endure during four long years of Sleepy Joe Biden. I AM SETTING THEM ALL FREE, RIGHT NOW! President DONALD J. TRUMP
In the post, Trump described the entire episode as part of what he called the Weaponization and Stupidity the country endured during four years under Joe Biden. He stated plainly that he was setting all six people free immediately.
Part of a wider pattern of pardons
This is not an isolated case. According to news reports, since returning to office Trump has issued pardons in a series of high-profile and controversial cases. Ross Ulbricht, the creator of the dark web marketplace Silk Road, was pardoned earlier. A group of anti-abortion activists were also pardoned ahead of the March for Life event in Washington. Several billionaires and businesspeople have also received presidential pardons in recent months. Separately, a letter requesting a pardon for Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu also surfaced.
Questions around Biden era decisions
Alongside this, questions have also been raised about decisions made during the Biden administration. According to news reports, the White House replaced a portrait of Biden with an image referencing an autopen device, and debate continued over how many January 6 related pardons Biden actually signed himself versus how many were processed through the autopen.
What happens next
Trump's latest post shows he continues to target decisions made under the Biden administration while using his presidential pardon power across a range of cases. However, the post does not name the six individuals or provide further details about their case.
