Who Has Trump Given Clemency To? A Guide to His Most Recent Pardons, Including 2 Reality Stars, a Rapper and a Gang Leader
On May 27, he pardoned reality TV stars and convicted felons Todd and Julie Chrisley
Trump has also commuted or pardoned several other notable figures, including a rapperSince President Donald Trump took office for the second time on Jan. 20, 2025, he has issued several federal pardons and commutations to people convicted of federal crimes.
Presidents have the power to grant clemencies and decide the extent of the pardon or commutation without having to provide an explanation for doing so.
During his first term, Trump granted clemency to 237 individuals, including Stephen Bannon, Charles Kushner, Lil Wayne and Kodak Black.
Meanwhile, since Trump took office for a second time in 2025, he has granted some form of clemency to more notable figures, such as Todd and Julie Chrisley, NBA YoungBoy and Larry Hoover.
Here's everything to know about Donald Trump's recent pardons and the notable figures he's granted clemency to.
Todd and Julie Chrisley, who rose to fame on their reality TV show Chrisley Knows Best, were fully pardoned by Trump on May 27.
Trump called the couple's daughter Savannah Chrisley to inform her of the news and explained that her parents are "terrific people" who were "given a pretty harsh treatment, based on what I'm hearing."
"It's a terrible thing, but it's a great thing, because your parents are going to be free and clean," he said on the phone. "I don't know them, but give them my regards and wish them good luck."
Savannah later shared on Instagram that she was "eternally grateful" to Trump and everyone else who helped free her parents.
PEOPLE later reported that Savannah was picking up Todd from FPC Pensacola in Florida, while their son Grayson was getting Julie from FMC Lexington in Kentucky.
The former reality TV stars, who could return to TV in their family's new Lifetime docuseries, were convicted of tax evasion and bank fraud in 2022. They were sentenced to a combined 19 years in prison and reported to their respective facilities in January 2023.
On May 28, Trump pardoned rapper NBA YoungBoy, whose real name is Kentrell DeSean Gaulden, after he admitted to possessing weapons despite being a convicted felon.
'I want to thank President Trump for granting me a pardon and giving me the opportunity to keep building — as a man, as a father, and as an artist,' Gaulden said in a statement after his pardon.
The rapper was sentenced to 23 months in prison for weapon-related charges in December 2024, but he was released in March due to credit for time served, according to the Associated Press.
He was subsequently ordered to home confinement in April 2025. Prior to his most recent charges, he was also convicted of aggravated assault with a firearm and pleaded guilty to being involved in a prescription drug ring in Utah.
Larry Hoover, who co-founded the Gangster Disciples gang, had his sentence commuted by Trump on May 28. He was serving six life sentences for murder, conspiracy, extortion and money laundering in a Colorado prison.
"Larry Hoover's federal life sentences have been commuted by President Donald Trump," Bonjean Law Group said in a statement to ABC News. "Mr. Hoover, who is now 75 years old, spent nearly 30 years in solitary confinement at ADX Florence -- the most restrictive, draconian supermax prison in the United States."
Even though Trump commuted his federal sentence, Hoover will remain behind bars as he continues serving a 200-year state sentence for the 1973 murder of William "Pooky" Young, per CBS News.
Hoover's conviction has stayed prominent over the years, with Kanye West and Drake even performing at a concert to raise awareness and funds for Hoover's release.
On the first day of his second presidential term, Trump pardoned over 1,500 people who were charged in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack against the U.S. Capitol.
"These are the hostages," Trump said in the Oval Office, according to CNN. 'Approximately 1,500 for a pardon – full pardon.'
Nearly 1,600 people were arrested in connection with the 2021 Capitol riot, and roughly 1,300 people were convicted. Of those people, around 174 were charged with using a dangerous weapon against police officers, per CNN.
In addition to the pardons, Trump also commuted the sentences for the leaders of the Oath Keepers and Proud Boys, according to the Associated Press.
Former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich was pardoned by Trump on Feb. 10. Blagojevich was convicted of corruption after he tried to sell former President Barack Obama's U.S. Senate seat after he was elected president.
In January 2009, he was impeached as governor and was indicted two months later. He was convicted of federal public corruption charges and was sentenced to 14 years in federal prison in 2011.
During his first term, Trump commuted Blagojevich's sentence, but maintained his conviction in 2020. However, in 2025, he completely pardoned Blagojevich. The two previously struck up a friendship after Blagojevich appeared on his show, The Celebrity Apprentice, in 2010.
"We want to express our most profound and everlasting gratitude to President Trump," Blagojevich said after his commutation in 2020, per NPR. "How do you properly thank someone who has given you back the freedom that was stolen from you?"
Ross Ulbricht ran the illegal dark web market Silk Road from 2011 until he was arrested in 2013.
In 2015, Ulbricht was found guilty of engaging in a criminal enterprise, distributing narcotics by means of the internet, conspiracy to commit money laundering, conspiracy to traffic fraudulent identity documents and conspiracy to commit computer hacking, according to the Department of Justice.
He was subsequently sentenced to life in prison. After unsuccessfully appealing his conviction twice, Trump pardoned Ulbricht on Jan. 21, per CBS.
John Rowland, who served as the governor of Connecticut from 1995 to 2004, was pardoned by Trump on May 28.
'I am very humbled and appreciative,' Rowland told The Connecticut Mirror at the time of his pardon. 'I have been blessed with a wonderful family and friends that have been through a great deal over the years. This is a wonderful final resolution.'
The former politician's legal troubles began in 2004 when he resigned from office and later pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit honest services fraud, mail fraud and tax fraud, per the Department of Justice. He served 10 months in prison and four months under house arrest.
In 2014, Rowland was convicted of falsifying records in a federal investigation, conspiracy, causing false statements to the FEC and causing illegal campaign contributions. He was later sentenced to 30 months in prison in 2015 and was released in 2018.
Brian Kelsey was a former Tennessee State Senator from 2009 to 2022. In 2022, he pleaded guilty to violating two federal campaign finance laws, per the Department of Justice. Trump pardoned Kelsey on March 11.
Trump fully pardoned Mark Bashaw, a former first lieutenant in the U.S. Army, on May 28. Bashaw was found guilty of violating lawful orders related to COVID protocols, per the Army Times.
He was never sentenced by a military judge, but the pardon erases his conviction.
Devon Archer was former President Joe Biden's son Hunter Biden's old business partner.
In 2018, Archer was convicted of involvement in a conspiracy to defraud a Native American tribe, per the Department of Justice. He was sentenced to a year in prison in 2022. Trump pardoned him on March 25.
Former Virginia sheriff Scott Jenkins was pardoned by Trump on May 26. In December 2024, he was convicted of conspiracy, honest services fraud and bribery, per the Department of Justice.
He was sentenced to 10 years in prison in March 2025 and was set to report to prison the day after his pardon.
Trump pardoned Paul Walczak on April 23. Walczak pleaded guilty to not paying employment taxes in November 2024 and was sentenced to 18 months in prison in April 2025, according to the Department of Justice.
After Walczak was pardoned, The New York Times reported that his mom, Elizabeth Fago, attended a Republican fundraising dinner that cost $1 million per seat at Trump's resort, Mar-a-Lago.
Michael Grimm represented New York in the United States Congress from 2011 to 2015, but he resigned from Congress after he pleaded guilty to felony tax fraud.
He was sentenced to eight months in prison in 2015 and was released in 2016, per the Department of Justice. Trump fully pardoned him on May 28.
Hip hop industry executive Michael Harris was sentenced to 28 years in prison after he was found guilty of crack dealing and attempted murder, according to The Los Angeles Times.
In 2021, Trump commuted his sentence, and he fully pardoned him on May 28.
James Callahan was a former labor union leader who pleaded guilty to accepting $315,000 in gifts from an advertising firm and not disclosing the gifts, per the Associated Press.
He was scheduled to be sentenced on May 28 — the day after Trump pardoned him on May 27.
Andrew Zabavsky and Terence Dale Sutton, Jr., were both Washington, DC, police officers who were found guilty of second-degree murder in the 2020 death of Karon Hylton-Brown, according to the Associated Press.
In September 2024, Zabavsky was sentenced to four years behind bars, while Sutton was sentenced to five years and six months. Trump pardoned both former officers on Jan. 22.
Trevor Milton, who was the former CEO of Nikola Corporation, was found guilty of securities and wire fraud in 2022, per the Department of Justice.
He was sentenced to four years in prison. On March 27, Trump pardoned Milton. Prior to his pardon, Milton and his wife donated $1.8 million to Trump's 2024 presidential campaign, according to the Associated Press.
Michele Fiore worked on the Nevada Republican Party committee before she was convicted of fraud, according to the Department of Justice. Ahead of her sentencing, Trump pardoned her on April 23.
On Jan. 23, Trump pardoned 24 anti-abortion activists who were convicted of violating the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act in Washington, DC. All 24 individuals pardoned are listed under the Department of Justice's official list.
BitMEX, a cryptocurrency exchange, was founded by Arthur Hayes, Ben Delo and Samuel Reed in 2014. In 2020, Hayes, Reed, Delo and executive Gregory Dwyer were all indicted for violating the U.S. Bank Security Act, per the Department of Justice.
Hayes turned himself in in 2021, while Delo, Hayes and Dwyer pleaded guilty in 2022. They all received different sentences, but Trump pardoned all four executives — and the company itself — on March 27.
Trump commuted Jean Pinkard's sentence after she was convicted for conspiracy to distribute opioids as a nurse, according to the Department of Justice.
Pinkard was diagnosed with cancer and was sentenced to one year in prison prior to her commutation on March 4.
Thomas Edward Caldwell, who is a Navy veteran, was pardoned on March 20. Caldwell was convicted of obstructing Congress and justice for tampering with documents after the 2021 U.S. Capitol riot, per the Associated Press. He was sentenced to time served in January.
In 2020, Jason Galanis was sentenced to over 14 years in prison for his involvement in various fraudulent schemes — including the one Archer was also arrested for, per the Department of Justice. On March 28, Trump commuted his sentence.
Carlos Watson, who was the CEO of Ozy Media, was convicted of fraud and was sentenced to 10 years in prison in December 2024.
Just hours before he was scheduled to start his prison sentence on March 28, his sentence was commuted by Trump, per CNBC. Ozy Media was also commuted.
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