Slate Daily Feed What Next | Pardon Me, Mr. President
Dec 3, 2025
Benjamin Wallace-Wells, a staff writer at The New Yorker specializing in political journalism, dives deep into the controversial world of presidential pardons. He discusses Donald Trump’s unprecedented use of this power, describing it as 'brazen.' The conversation reveals the stark contrasts between past presidents' approaches and Trump’s midterm pardon spree. Wallace-Wells also categorizes Trump’s pardons and highlights their political implications, including the dangers of creating an 'immunity culture.' His skepticism regarding the pardon power raises essential questions about its role in modern governance.
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Pardons On An Unprecedented Scale
- Donald Trump has dramatically expanded pardon use in his second term, issuing thousands versus hundreds previously.
- Benjamin Wallace-Wells argues this scale and brazenness mark a new, consequential phase in presidential clemency.
Roger Stone's Pivotal Letter
- Roger Stone recounted handing a nine-page letter from the Honduran president to Trump, and three hours later Hernandez was pardoned.
- Wallace-Wells used this account to illustrate how pardons can be rapidly transactional.
Transactional Pardons Trump Legal Merit
- The Hernandez pardon looked openly transactional, pushed through quickly after Roger Stone intervened.
- Wallace-Wells contrasts courtroom failure of access-based defenses with success inside the White House.