Trump says He may consider pardoning Diddy amid ongoing sex trafficking trial
Former U.S. President Donald Trump has stated he might consider granting a pardon to embattled music mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs, who is currently on trial in New York for sex trafficking and racketeering.
Speaking during an appearance this week, Trump said no formal request has been made, but he acknowledged that conversations around a potential pardon may be happening behind the scenes. “Nobody’s asked, but I know people are thinking about it,” Trump said. “I think some people have been really close to asking. First of all, I’d look at what’s happening, and I haven’t watched it too closely.”
Combs’ trial, which began earlier this month, is expected to run through July. If convicted on all charges, the Bad Boy Records founder could face a life sentence.
Trump and Combs shared a friendship in the past with Trump once calling Diddy a “good friend” in 2012 when the rapper appeared on The Apprentice. However, that relationship appears to have cooled since Trump’s presidency. “I haven’t spoken to him in years,” Trump noted. “He used to really like me a lot. I think when I ran for politics, that relationship busted up.”
Still, Trump emphasized that political differences wouldn’t affect his judgment. “I would certainly look at the facts. If I think somebody was mistreated, whether they like me or don’t like me, it wouldn’t have any impact on me.”
The comments come amid a series of high-profile clemency decisions by Trump, including a pardon for rapper YoungBoy Never Broke Again and a commutation of the federal life sentence of former Chicago gang leader Larry Hoover. While Hoover was released from federal custody, he remains imprisoned in Illinois for a 200-year state sentence related to the 1973 murder of drug dealer William “Pooky” Young.
As Diddy’s trial continues, public and political scrutiny around the case and any potential intervention is expected to intensify.
