Joe Biden discussed the possibility of granting President Trump a pardon during a conversation with his wife, Jill Biden, according to Republican Utah Governor Spencer Cox. In an anecdote from his upcoming book, detailed in The Atlantic, Cox revealed that he proposed the idea of pardoning Trump to Biden in August 2023, only to learn that the Bidens had already been considering it.
Cox recalled telling Biden, "Mr. President, I know this might sound crazy, but I think you should pardon Donald Trump," while they were in a presidential limousine in Salt Lake City. Biden reportedly responded, "You know, I’ve actually considered this for a while. In fact, just this week as we were lying in bed, Jill and I had a long conversation about it," acknowledging that while people were "demanding justice," he was contemplating a pardon for Trump.
This conversation occurred shortly after Trump faced a federal indictment related to his alleged efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election. At that time, Trump was already dealing with federal charges for allegedly mishandling classified documents and was involved in a trial concerning alleged falsification of business records in Manhattan.
Cox, who was not supporting Trump’s re-election bid at the time, expressed concern that prosecuting the former president would exacerbate political tensions in the country. He argued that a pardon could help deescalate the situation and break the cycle of partisan retribution.
Biden, who has granted 80 pardons during his presidency, including to his son Hunter and former COVID czar Anthony Fauci, ultimately did not issue a pardon to Trump. It remains unclear whether Jill Biden influenced her husband’s decision regarding the pardon. Reports suggest she had considerable political influence during his presidency.
A few days after Cox's conversation with Biden, Trump was indicted on state charges in Georgia for his alleged attempts to interfere in the presidential election in that state. A presidential pardon would not have prevented prosecution in the Georgia or Manhattan cases.
The federal cases against Trump, along with the Georgia case, were dismissed after he won the 2024 presidential election against former Vice President Kamala Harris. Trump was convicted on 34 felony counts at the conclusion of his Manhattan trial.
A spokesperson for Biden did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Prior to his conversation with Cox, Biden had been asked by Fox News reporter Peter Doocy about the possibility of pardoning Trump, to which he smiled and dismissed the question, calling it "a great question."