How do joe biden's commutation statistics compare to recent presidents like obama, trump, and bush at the same point?
Executive summary
Joe Biden issued far more commutations than recent presidents: reporting shows Biden granted roughly 4,000–4,169 commutations overall, more than double Barack Obama’s 1,715 and far above Donald Trump’s 94 commutations in his first term (and well above George W. Bush and others) [1] [2] [3]. Multiple outlets describe Biden’s end‑of‑term actions — including single‑day commutation rounds of about 1,499–2,500 people — as the largest such exercises in U.S. history [4] [5] [6].
1. Biden’s commutation tally: a numeric leap
Biden’s commutations during his term eclipse recent predecessors: Reuters/aggregates cited by sources put his total in the low‑to‑mid 4,000s (e.g., 4,169), while contemporaneous reporting described single actions that added roughly 1,500–2,500 commutations in one day, producing totals that far exceed Obama’s 1,715 commutations over eight years [3] [1] [4].
2. How Obama, Trump and the Bushes compare at similar points
Obama’s commutations remain the previous modern record and were concentrated on long drug sentences and people serving life terms without parole; by contrast, Trump issued far fewer commutations in his first term — about 94 — and granted several high‑profile pardons late in his term [2] [1]. George W. Bush and George H.W. Bush granted still fewer clemency acts overall, with multiple sources noting both Bushes among the lower users of clemency in recent decades [7] [8].
3. What “at the same point” means — timing and end‑of‑term surges
Acts of clemency commonly cluster in a president’s final fiscal year or final days; Pew and DOJ data show most presidents save many clemencies for their last months, and Biden followed that pattern with the bulk of his actions late in his term [9]. Comparing “at the same point” requires matching calendar points: when measured before those final surges, Biden’s cumulative numbers were much lower; most outlets emphasize his late‑term rounds that pushed him past predecessors [10] [9].
4. Different strategies and target populations
Obama’s commutation strategy focused on deep sentence reductions for people serving long or life drug sentences; journalists and analysts noted those were often individuals still behind bars and serving long terms [6]. Biden’s large rounds included many people already released to home confinement during COVID and people convicted of nonviolent drug offenses; some commentators noted the practical difference between “deep” commutations (shortening lengthy incarceration) and broader population‑level commutations affecting many already released [6] [4].
5. Rates, petition volume and approval percentages
Analyses note differing petition volumes and approval rates: Obama reportedly granted about 5% of petitions he received, a relatively high approval rate historically, while Trump granted a smaller share (about 1% or less); Reason reports Biden granted about one‑third of commutation applications — a far higher rate — though that figure depends on how petitions are counted and which petitions are eligible [1]. Exact percentage comparisons depend on DOJ petition counts and are reported differently across outlets [1] [11].
6. Political context and critiques from competing perspectives
Supporters frame Biden’s moves as redressing disproportionate drug sentencing and mass incarceration; critics argue the late‑term timing and inclusion of preemptive pardons for political associates or family members raise concerns about process and norms [9] [10]. Coverage notes that Trump also used late‑term clemency aggressively, often for political allies, and that both presidents at times bypassed the formal Justice Department clemency review process [7] [2].
7. Limitations in the reporting and what sources don’t say
Available sources document totals and patterns but differ on precise counts (4,169 vs. “more than 4,000” vs. individual White House statements), and they do not provide a standardized “same‑point” timeline that aligns each president day‑for‑day; therefore, a strict apples‑to‑apples statistical comparison at an identical point in each presidency is not provided in current reporting [3] [1] [9]. Detailed DOJ datasets exist (Office of the Pardon Attorney) but the summarized stories use slightly different cutoffs and descriptions [12] [11].
8. Bottom line for readers
By any widely reported metric cited here, Biden’s commutation count is historically large and exceeds recent presidents such as Obama and Trump — often by large margins — largely because of massive late‑term commutation rounds for nonviolent drug offenders and other groups [1] [4] [3]. Those numerical facts coexist with important contextual distinctions — timing, who benefited, petition volumes, and process — that shape how the record is interpreted [6] [9].