How does Trump's pardon record compare to previous presidents like Obama or Bush?

1. What the original claims say — blunt tallies and sharp contrasts

The supplied analyses present conflicting numerical snapshots but converge on a clear contrast: Obama granted far more clemencies in his two terms than Trump did in his presidency, with one source listing Obama at 1,927 total pardons compared with Trump’s lower totals reported across pieces ^{[3] [1]}. Several items quantify Trump’s actions as modest in volume—reports range from roughly 157–238 pardons and commutations in aggregate to claims of 237 total acts of clemency—while other tallies put some historical presidents far higher (Franklin D. Roosevelt’s 3,687; Andrew Johnson’s 7,654) ^{[2] [3]}. These counts underscore a numerical gap rather than uniform agreement on the exact number for Trump across the source set.

2. Approval rates and petitions received — a critical contextual metric

Beyond totals, the analyses flag approval rates as a key difference. Obama reportedly granted roughly 5% of clemency petitions he received, while Trump’s approvals are described as below 2% of petitions in one analysis, and comparable to George W. Bush’s approximately 2% figure in another ^[1]. Biden’s much higher activity—reported at thousands of acts in one dataset and a 29% grant rate in another piece—serves as a contrast to illustrate how different administrations treat both volume and vetting ^{[4] [1]}. These rates matter because they reframe whether a president is expansive in the use of clemency or selective; the supplied materials indicate Trump was comparatively restrictive in granting routine petitions.

3. Timing and style — early pardons and ally-focused choices changed the narrative

Several analyses emphasize that Trump diverged from modern practice through high-profile, politically fraught pardons rather than broad-based clemency drives. Reports call attention to dozens of pardons of allies tied to the 2020 election and other politically sensitive beneficiaries, including named figures described as receiving “full, complete and unconditional” pardons ^[5]. Other coverage notes Trump’s relatively early issuance of some pardons—contrasting with presidents who waited or used clemency more extensively later in terms—and compares his early-term activity to historical examples like Gerald Ford and Ronald Reagan ^[6]. The result is that Trump’s record is defined less by volumetric generosity and more by selective, high-impact interventions.

4. Controversy, conflicts of interest, and political framing

The supplied analyses repeatedly highlight controversy and potential conflicts—for example, a pardon of a crypto executive tied to financial networks reportedly intersecting with the president’s family interests, provoking questions about transparency and motives ^[7]. That framing contrasts with the administrative statistics emphasizing petition denial rates and aggregate counts, producing two narratives: one focused on the technical conservatism of Trump’s clemency approvals and another stressing the political and ethical implications of the pardons he did grant. Observers and outlets cited in the materials use those angles for different agendas—some to critique selective favoritism, others to emphasize overall restraint—so the collated record shows both low approval volumes and high political salience of individual actions ^{[1] [7] [5]}.

5. Putting it together — how to compare presidents fairly

Comparisons must account for different baselines: total pardons and commutations, approval rates relative to petitions received, timing within presidencies, and the political profile of beneficiaries. The materials show Obama’s clemency footprint was larger in raw pardons and commutations and more expansive in approval rate, whereas Trump issued fewer routine grants but a disproportionate share of politically charged pardons. Historical presidents vary widely—some like FDR and Andrew Johnson issued far larger totals—so evaluating any one president requires matching the metric to the question being asked: volume, openness to petitions, or political impact. The combined evidence supplied supports the conclusion that Trump’s clemency record is modest in volume but notable for its controversy and selective beneficiary profile ^{[3] [8] [1]}.