US President Donald Trump has confirmed that music mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs, who is currently serving a four-year prison sentence over prostitution-related offences, has formally requested a presidential pardon, but said he has no intention of granting it.
Trump made this known in an interview with The New York Times published on Thursday, where he also disclosed that he is not considering clemency for several other prominent figures, including former Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro.
Combs, 56, was convicted in July last year on two counts of transporting individuals across state lines for prostitution. While the jury cleared the hip-hop star of the more severe accusations of sex trafficking and racketeering, the remaining convictions resulted in a custodial sentence.
According to Trump, Combs personally reached out by letter seeking a pardon, but the president said he was not persuaded to intervene.
During the same interview, Trump was asked about the possibility of pardoning Maduro, who was recently captured by US forces and is currently facing drug trafficking charges in the United States.
“No, I don’t see that,” Trump said when asked directly about granting the deposed Venezuelan leader clemency.
Trump, however, referenced a previous high-profile pardon, noting that in November he granted clemency to former Honduran president Juan Orlando Hernandez, who had been serving a 45-year prison term following a drug trafficking conviction.
The president further stated that he does not plan to pardon disgraced cryptocurrency entrepreneur Sam Bankman-Fried, who is serving a 25-year sentence, nor former Democratic senator Robert Menendez, who was sentenced to 11 years in prison for accepting bribes.
The New York Times reported that Trump was also questioned on whether he would consider a pardon for Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis police officer convicted over the 2020 killing of George Floyd, an incident that triggered nationwide racial justice protests.
“I haven’t been asked about it,” Trump said.
Trump also reflected on his earlier use of presidential pardon powers, recalling that on the day of his inauguration he issued clemency to more than 1,500 individuals who were either convicted or facing charges linked to the January 6, 2021, attack on the US Capitol by his supporters.
Since then, he has approved several other pardons, many involving political allies and loyalists.
What you should know
Donald Trump’s remarks highlight his selective approach to presidential pardons, drawing a clear line between political supporters and high-profile criminal cases.
While he has used clemency extensively for allies and January 6 defendants, he appears unwilling to extend the same consideration to figures such as Sean “Diddy” Combs, Nicolas Maduro, or Sam Bankman-Fried.
The comments also underscore the political sensitivity surrounding pardons involving race, international figures, and celebrity defendants, as Trump continues to shape his second-term legacy through the use, and refusal, of executive mercy.
