A Republican governor says Joe Biden privately weighed pardoning Donald Trump in 2023, and the White House won’t clearly deny it.
Story Highlights
- Utah Gov. Spencer Cox says Biden told him he had considered a Trump pardon in August 2023.
- The setting was Biden’s Utah visit; Cox says Biden discussed it with Jill Biden that week.
- The White House response was, “To our knowledge, this was not raised,” leaving the claim unresolved.
- No record shows legal work toward a pardon; Biden later pardoned his son, Hunter, in 2024.
What Cox Says Happened In The Presidential Limo
Utah Gov. Spencer Cox says he raised a pardon idea with Joe Biden during Biden’s Utah trip in August 2023. Cox says Biden replied he had “considered this for a while” and that he and Jill Biden had a long talk about it that week. Cox’s account places the exchange in the presidential limousine and frames the idea as a way to lower tensions. The Washington Examiner reported the account, which is drawn from Cox’s forthcoming book.
The account adds specifics that make it testable: a date window, a location, and a clear topic. The conversation, as told, suggests Biden understood public pressure for punishment while also weighing unity. That balance mirrors how presidents have defended clemency before. Still, the claim rests on one named witness and a later retelling. There is no transcript, audio, or known second witness on record to confirm the exact words.
How The White House And Fact-Checkers Framed It
White House Senior Deputy Press Secretary Andrew Bates answered the story by saying, “To our knowledge, this was not raised.” That wording does not confirm or fully deny a private talk. Snopes reviewed the claim and said public evidence does not show Biden seriously considered a pardon. Snopes cited the single-witness nature of the report and the lack of evidence of legal follow-through. The outlet rated the rumor unproven as of its report.
Public statements by Biden during and after 2023 also cut against the idea of leniency for Trump. Biden said Trump led an insurrection and argued that Trump’s later pardons of January 6 defendants were wrong. Those remarks present Biden’s stance as favoring accountability, not clemency. That posture does not disprove Cox’s account, but it shows the political cost Biden would face for any such move.
What Is Known Versus What Is Missing
Available reports do not show that Biden ordered staff to draft a pardon or sought legal advice on it. There is no known memo from the White House Counsel’s Office or the Department of Justice’s Office of the Pardon Attorney reflecting work on a Trump pardon. The claim, as of now, supports only that a conversation may have occurred, not that a pardon was imminent. The absence of documented steps keeps the story in the realm of a private musing.
The timeline also includes Biden’s 2024 pardon of his son, Hunter, which he justified as a response to a politicized process. That separate action shapes how people see Biden’s clemency choices. It fuels both sides: some say it shows a broader willingness to use pardon power; others say it has no bearing on a Trump case. The record does not link the Hunter decision to any plan for Trump.
Why This Matters For Presidential Power And For Today
Presidential pardons have often aimed to cool national anger after crises. George Washington pardoned men tied to the Whiskey Rebellion. Gerald Ford pardoned Richard Nixon to help the country move on. Those examples show that unity has long been a clemency goal, even when the public is split. Cox’s reported rationale for a Trump pardon fits that history, though history alone cannot prove what Biden planned in 2023.
For conservatives, the lesson is clear. Private power thrives when records are thin and answers are vague. When a White House offers a careful non-denial, it leaves room for doubt and spin. The way to cut through that is sunlight: records, schedules, and on-the-record interviews. Until then, the hard facts are narrow. A named governor says Biden considered a Trump pardon in 2023; the White House does not clearly confirm it; no documents show action toward it.
Sources:
facebook.com, snopes.com, crooksandliars.com, people.com
