How does Trump’s number of pardons compare to other presidents?
Executive summary
Donald J. Trump’s use of the pardon power is numerically large in recent political headlines — he has issued well over 1,500 pardons and clemency actions across both presidencies, including a single-day mass pardon of roughly 1,500 January‑6 defendants — a tally that places him among the higher counts for individual presidents but not uniformly at the top depending on how pardons and commutations are counted [1] [2] [3]. Historians and data trackers caution that comparisons hinge on different metrics (pardons vs. total clemency acts) and on whether high‑visibility mass grants are weighed the same as steady, lower‑profile clemency over time [4] [5].
1. Numerical ranking: where Trump sits in the raw counts
On raw counts of pardons issued during his combined terms, multiple outlets report Trump has granted more than 1,500 pardons, with Al Jazeera counting at least 1,644 and other trackers and advocacy groups using the figure “over 1,500” to describe his total as of early 2025 [3] [1]. By one historic benchmark — pardons only — Harry S. Truman remains the most prolific president in the 20th century with 1,913 pardons, putting Trump below Truman but well above many modern presidents in simple totals [3].
2. Pardons versus clemency: a semantic and statistical trap
Comparisons vary because scholars separate “pardons” from broader “clemency acts” (pardons, commutations, remissions), and the Justice Department’s Office of the Pardon Attorney compiles statistics that are not directly apples‑to‑apples across eras, proclamations, and mass actions [5]. Pew’s analysis highlights that by some measures Trump’s overall use of clemency was lower than many past presidents — noting that only two presidents since 1900 (George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush) granted fewer acts of clemency than Trump — a statistic that demonstrates how choice of metric flips the story [6].
3. First term vs. second term: different patterns, different totals
Trump’s clemency record in his first presidency was modest in DOI/OPA‑count terms — about 237 clemency actions during the first term — only to be dwarfed by mass pardons early in his second term when roughly 1,500 January‑6 defendants were pardoned or commuted on day one, dramatically inflating his cumulative totals [7] [2]. That late‑term and second‑term concentration contrasts with presidents who issued clemency steadily or favored commutations (as Barack Obama did), complicating simple historical rankings [8].
4. Visibility, politics and criticism that shape perception
What makes Trump’s numbers feel exceptional is not only volume but the political profile of recipients — allies, political operatives and high‑profile figures — and the bypassing of the traditional OPA review process, which has drawn criticism from legal scholars and led commentators to say his grants were unusually partisan and visible [7] [9]. Analysts at The Fulcrum argue the effect is more about visibility — mass pardons and headline recipients — than absolute historical uniqueness, because earlier presidents quietly granted thousands when measured across different forms of clemency [4].
5. What the official data can and cannot say
The Department of Justice’s clemency statistics remain the authoritative record for warrants processed through the pardon office, but they exclude some proclamations and class‑based grants and do not resolve debates about whether to count commutations the same as pardons [5]. Independent trackers like Ballotpedia and Wikipedia compile lists that show Trump’s 237 first‑term clemency actions and subsequent mass pardons, but historians caution that cross‑presidential comparisons require care about timeframe, forms of clemency and administrative practices [10] [7].