Time to forget diplomacy, because it’s pardon season! No modern president has used the power of clemency quite as much as Donald Trump. It wasn’t even a month into his second term when he became the runner-up on the presidential pardons scoreboard, sitting just below Harry Truman. By November 2025, he had hit nearly 1,800 pardons — and that included roughly 1,500 people charged or convicted in connection with the January 6, 2021 Capitol riots, because why not, right?
But here’s where we must remember that Donald Trump has been generous to many more people, even beyond the Capitol rioters. If you’re famous and/or supportive of MAGA, your chances of getting pardoned increase dramatically. While former NBA star Sebastian Telfair publicly begged for a pardon, several other household names have walked away with presidential absolution.
First up: Darryl Strawberry, because Donald Trump is just as willing to absolve people who have already paid their dues and want their civil rights back. New York Mets legend Darryl Strawberry pled guilty to tax evasion in 1995, served six months of home confinement, completed probation, and paid the $350,000 he owed. But three whole decades later, Trump fully pardoned him. The president pointed to Strawberry’s sobriety, faith, and ministry work. The former MLB star then posted a thank-you on Instagram.
BREAKING: The White House said President Trump’s decision to pardon the former MLB slugger comes as Strawberry has stayed sober a decade and turned to Christianity. pic.twitter.com/wx6sQfHYhc
— Fox News (@FoxNews) November 7, 2025
Then came Todd and Julie Chrisley, who were hit with 19 combined years in prison for bank fraud and tax evasion—which they have constantly denied, by the way. But after only about two and a half years behind bars, Donald Trump fully pardoned them in May 2025, and they didn’t need to pay their nearly $18 million restitution either. The Chrisley family lobbied hard. Their daughter Savannah (who later called the pardons “the answer to countless prayers”) endorsed Trump at the 2024 RNC, and Todd promoted MAGA from prison.
In 2021, Donald Trump spent his final day in the Oval Office like Oprah, if you know what we mean. He pardoned more than 140 people, and among them were two rap giants: Lil Wayne and Kodak Black. Wayne had been facing up to 10 years for a federal weapons charge when Trump wiped it away. Kodak Black’s nearly four-year sentence for illegal firearm purchases was also commuted. Both artists had supporters advocating for their clemency; both had also shown warmth toward Trump. So go figure.
Lastly, let’s talk about rapper NBA YoungBoy (aka Kentrell Gaulden), who served time in confinement when Donald Trump pardoned him in May 2025. He was freed from five more years of probation. Per Billboard, he thanked Trump immediately and said he’d grow “as a man, as a father, and as an artist.” By July, he had a hit album, a tour, and shouted a “Make America Slimy Again.”
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