Biden Brags About Pardoning More People Than Trump

President Joe Biden bragged about pardoning more people than former President Donald Trump, with the addition of almost a dozen more clemency actions ahead of the Christmas holiday.

Biden issued a proclamation on Friday pardoning certain marijuana offenses, building on his earlier action from last year on the issue. He also granted clemency for 11 individuals serving jail sentences for non-violent drug offenses, including some that received mandatory life sentences who he said would have been eligible for significantly lower sentences if they had been charged with the same offense today.

"I have exercised my clemency power more than any recent predecessor has at this point in their presidency," Biden said in a statement announcing the action.

Clemency power encompasses commutations, which reduce sentences without exonerating an individual, and pardons, which relieve a person of all guilt for crimes committed.

A 2021 Pew Research Center analysis shows that while he was in office, Trump used his clemency power less often than nearly every other modern president, granting a total of 237 acts of clemency during his four years, comprising 143 pardons and 94 commutations.

Although he didn't use his clemency power as much as other modern presidents, Trump's departure from the White House was marked by a flurry of last-minute pardons that he issued in his final hours as president, granting clemency to 143 people, including to key allies like Steve Bannon and Elliott Broidy. So, before the final week of his presidency, Trump had granted less than 100 acts of clemency.

White House spokesperson Robyn Patterson told Newsweek that at this point in his presidency, "President Biden has issued 117 commutations, nine individual pardons, and has issued two categorical pardons for marijuana use and possession that will impact thousands of Americans."

Newsweek reached out to the Trump campaign via email for comment.

The only two presidents who have granted fewer acts than Trump since 1990 are George W. Bush and George H.W. Bush. Comparably, Barack Obama granted 1,927 acts of clemency during his presidency, Bill Clinton granted 459 and Ronald Reagan 406. Obama's acts were skewed towards commutations, of which he granted 1,715.

Amid Trump's own federal criminal cases, there have been calls for Biden to pardon his predecessor.

In October 2022, Biden announced pardons for thousands of individuals who had been convicted of simple marijuana possession under federal law and in the District of Columbia. It was the most significant action the Biden administration had taken on decriminalizing marijuana, which is illegal under federal law, even though most states have moved to legalize it, decriminalize it, or allow legal for medical purposes.

"Just as no one should be in a federal prison solely due to the use or possession of marijuana, no one should be in a local jail or state prison for that reason, either," Biden said Friday. "That's why I continue to urge Governors to do the same with regard to state offenses and applaud those who have since taken action."

The latest proclamation will target "additional offenses of simple possession and use of marijuana under federal and D.C. law." Further details haven't been announced, but officials say that it will include provisions that weren't covered last year.

"Criminal records for marijuana use and possession have imposed needless barriers to employment, housing, and educational opportunities. Too many lives have been upended because of our failed approach to marijuana. It's time that we right these wrongs," the president said.