Key insights
- Reports indicate Trump may issue preemptive pardons to administration officials before leaving office. This adds to political uncertainty, but the direct market impact on US equities is likely minimal unless it triggers broader instability or policy paralysis.
Investing.com -- President Trump has repeatedly told top administration officials he plans to pardon them before leaving office, according to a report from the Wall Street Journal, citing people familiar with his comments.
"I’ll pardon everyone who has come within 200 feet of the Oval," Trump said in a recent meeting, drawing laughs from those present, according to people with knowledge of the remarks. The radius appears to be growing as the president repeats the statement. Another person who met with Trump earlier this year said he joked about pardoning anyone who had come within 10 feet.
During a conversation with advisers in the dining room next to the Oval Office last year, Trump said he would hold a news conference to announce mass pardons before departing office, some of the people said. The people said they were not aware of specific pardons being offered to particular individuals for particular acts.
This article was generated with the support of AI and reviewed by an editor. For more information see our T&C.