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Presidential pardons have been used by Presidents from George Washington to Donald Trump. They have been used as instruments of reconciliation and, at times, have led to controversy.
From Andrew Johnson’s sweeping amnesty for former Confederates after the Civil War to Jimmy Carter’s blanket pardon of more than 200,000 Vietnam draft dodgers, American history is replete with dramatic individual and mass pardons.
Against that backdrop, Donald Trump’s use of clemency stands out less for how they depart from historical patterns or volume than for its visibility.
His mass pardons of Jan. 6 defendants and “fake electors” have fueled headlines and sharpened partisan divides, creating the impression of an unusually high number of pardons.
Yet compared to past presidents who quietly granted thousands, Trump’s tally remains relatively modest.
What are the Facts?
How many pardons has President Trump given?
First Term (2017–2021):
- Trump granted 143 pardons and 94 commutations during his first term. These included high-profile cases like Michael Flynn, Roger Stone, Paul Manafort, and Charles Kushner.
Second Term (2025–present):
- As of Nov. 9, 2025, Trump had issued 142 pardons and 28 commutations.
- On Jan. 20, 2025 (Inauguration Day), he announced a mass pardon for nearly everyone charged in connection with the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot — estimated at 1,500+ individuals.
- On Nov. 7, 2025, he issued another mass pardon tied to the “fake electors” scheme from the 2020 election, naming 77 individuals (including Rudy Giuliani, Mark Meadows, Sidney Powell, Jenna Ellis, Kenneth Chesebro, and John Eastman) while also extending clemency to others not individually listed.
How does this compare to the number of pardons by previous presidents?
Donald Trump’s pardons (about 238 named individuals across both terms, plus mass pardons for thousands) are far fewer than most past presidents, especially compared to Franklin D. Roosevelt (3,687), Barack Obama (1,927), and Joe Biden (4,245).
Is President Trump's use of mass pardons on two occasions unusual?
There is a long history of the use of mass pardons by previous Presidents so the two that Trump has issued are not unprecedented, although critics have pointed out that traditionally mass pardons were often about healing national divisions (Civil War, Vietnam, WWII) and Donald Trump’s mass pardons (Jan. 6 defendants, “fake electors”), some argue, are unusual because they focus on political allies and supporters, rather than broad categories of citizens.
The list:
George Washington (1795) Pardoned participants in the Whiskey Rebellion, granting clemency to large groups of insurgents to calm tensions.
Andrew Johnson (1865–1868) Issued sweeping pardons to tens of thousands of former Confederates after the Civil War, restoring their rights and property (with some exceptions for high-ranking officials).
Jimmy Carter (1977) On his first day in office, Carter granted a blanket pardon to all Vietnam War draft dodgers — estimated at 200,000+ individuals. This is one of the largest mass pardons in U.S. history.
Woodrow Wilson (1919) Pardoned many individuals convicted under the Espionage Act during World War I, including those jailed for anti-war activism.
Harry Truman (1947) Issued clemency to thousands of WWII deserters, restoring civil rights to many.
Joe Biden (2022–2025) Has used mass pardons for federal marijuana possession offenses, covering thousands of people at once. He also extended pardons to certain categories of nonviolent offenders.
Conclusion:
Presidential pardons, whether granted quietly or with great publicity, have always carried symbolic weight beyond the individuals they affect. Trump’s use of mass pardons may be distinctive in its political focus, but in sheer numbers, it falls well within the historical continuum of executive clemency. For readers and citizens alike, the challenge is not only to measure the facts but to consider what these acts reveal about the evolving role of presidential power in shaping justice, reconciliation, and public trust.
David Nevins is the publisher of The Fulcrum and co-founder and board chairman of the Bridge Alliance Education Fund.
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