DeSantis open to pardoning Trump, says reports.
Gov. Ron DeSantis Floats Pardoning Former President Donald Trump
During an engaging interview with conservative host Megyn Kelly on her SiriusXM show, Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) discussed the possibility of pardoning his chief 2024 presidential rival, former President Donald Trump, if elected president.
“Well, what I’ve said is very simple. I’m going to do what’s right for the country. I don’t think it would be good for the country to have an almost 80-year-old former president, go to prison,” DeSantis said.
Kelly, not one to shy away from pressing questions, retorted, “So that’s a yes.”
At 77 years old, Trump is 33 years older than DeSantis, who is 44. DeSantis has often touted his youthful energy on the campaign trail, taking a subtle dig at both Trump and 80-year-old President Joe Biden.
DeSantis drew a parallel to President Gerald Ford’s pardon of Richard Nixon after the Watergate scandal, highlighting it as a precedent for a potential pardon.
“I look at like, you know, Ford, pardoned Nixon. Took some heat for it but at the end of the day, it’s like, do we want to move forward as a country?” DeSantis added. “Or do we want to be mired in these past controversies?”
DeSantis emphasized the public’s desire for a fresh start and a leader who will focus on their issues. He acknowledged the events of the past five or six years but stressed the importance of addressing the challenges ahead.
Meanwhile, special counsel Jack Smith released three new charges in a superseding indictment against Trump for his alleged mishandling of classified documents. This brings the total charges against the former president for the incident to a staggering 40. The charges involve an attempt to delete surveillance footage at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago property, with the involvement of Mar-a-Lago worker Carlos De Oliveira and co-defendant Walt Nauta.
During the interview, DeSantis also addressed Trump’s claims that he begged for his endorsement during the 2018 Florida gubernatorial campaign. DeSantis dismissed the allegations, recounting a conversation on Air Force One where he simply asked for Trump’s support and a tweet of endorsement.
Since his successful 2018 race, DeSantis has experienced a falling out with Trump, primarily due to his challenge for the 2024 GOP nomination. DeSantis revealed that Trump now sees him as a threat, making him the only candidate consistently polling in double digits behind Trump. However, DeSantis’s poll numbers have recently declined, leading to the layoff of 38 staffers from his campaign team.
“He doesn’t say that about his own vice president running against him. He doesn’t say that about his ambassador to the U.N. running against him,” DeSantis said, referring to former Vice President Mike Pence and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley. “He doesn’t say that about other people he endorsed in the past who are now running against him. He only says that about me because I think he construes me as the only threat to his winning the nomination.”
As the political landscape continues to evolve, the possibility of a presidential pardon for Trump remains a topic of intrigue and speculation.
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