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Fact check: How does the number of pardons issued by Donald Trump compare to other presidents?
Executive Summary
Donald Trump’s use of the presidential clemency power during his terms placed him far above most recent presidents but below record-holders; as of mid-2025 he issued roughly between 1,600 and 1,737 clemency actions according to official and journalistic tallies, a total that is substantially less than Joe Biden’s unusually large recent totals but larger than most modern presidents [1] [2] [3]. The pattern of Trump’s grants—heavy on high-profile, politically fraught cases including many tied to the Jan. 6 attacks—has produced intense criticism from law enforcement and watchdogs, while statistical comparisons depend on whether one counts pardons, commutations, or all “acts of clemency” [4] [5] [6].
1. A surprising volume: How many clemency actions did Trump actually sign?
Official compilations and press tallies converge on a Trump total in the mid-thousands of actions when combining pardons, commutations, and other clemency measures, with specific counts cited around 1,600–1,737 as of mid-2025. The Office of the Pardon Attorney lists grants attributed to President Donald J. Trump for 2025 onward and provides itemized pardons and commutations [3]. Independent summaries and news outlets documenting a “full list” of clemency recipients—emphasizing second-term activity—report totals in the same range and note that hundreds of the grants relate to the January 6 Capitol prosecutions and other politically sensitive matters [1] [4]. The key factual takeaway is that Trump’s clemency output is high relative to many predecessors but that exact comparisons hinge on counting conventions.
2. Biden’s unprecedented clemency surge and how it reframes the comparison
Multiple analyses show Joe Biden’s clemency totals dwarf those of recent presidents, with figures cited at 4,245 acts in one analysis and as many as 8,064 in another, depending on whether all forms of clemency and the latest rounds are tallied [7] [2]. Pew Research and Department of Justice summaries presented in 2025 describe Biden as having granted more acts of clemency than any prior president, a stat that places Trump’s mid-thousands figure well below Biden’s recent output [7]. This juxtaposition reframes Trump’s numbers: they are historically large in several contexts but were overtaken quickly by Biden’s expansive use of the same power during the same historical window.
3. Historical perspective: where Trump sits among past presidents
Historical DOJ and research compilations place Trump below the largest historical clemency issuers such as Franklin D. Roosevelt and Harry S. Truman, who issued thousands of pardons and commutations in their eras; some sources list Trump among the higher-ranking modern presidents but not at the top [8] [6]. For example, Roosevelt’s and Truman’s totals are typically cited in the thousands—FDR with over 2,800 pardons and Truman near 1,900—while Trump’s totals in the 1,500–1,700 range situate him above many postwar presidents but not the historical maxima [8]. The way agencies classify “acts of clemency” versus specific “pardons” or “commutations” changes rank orderings, and comparative claims must specify which metric is used.
4. The politics of selection: who received clemency and why it matters
Trump’s grants have a notable pattern: a disproportionate number of high-profile recipients tied to political narratives and the Jan. 6 prosecutions, alongside controversial pardons for allies and figures convicted of white-collar and public corruption offenses [4] [1]. This selective pattern has triggered denunciations from police officers, unions, and legal observers who argue the clemency choices undermine norms and signal partisan use of presidential mercy [1] [4]. At the same time, defenders argue that clemency has long been used for political or reconciliatory purposes; the factual point is that Trump’s grant pattern amplified political controversy and media attention relative to many prior presidents.
5. Counting matters: pardons, commutations, and “acts of clemency” change the story
Different sources deploy different metrics—some report “pardons” only, others combine pardons and commutations, while major summaries refer to all “acts of clemency,” which can produce wide numerical variance between outlets [6] [2]. For example, one DOJ-style breakdown lists Trump’s counts as specific numbers of pardons and commutations [6], while journalistic lists aggregate grants issued across a time span and come up with higher totals [3] [1]. Accurate comparison requires stating which measure is used and which time frame is covered; failing that, comparisons can mislead by conflating different categories of clemency.