# Do you believe that Trump will attempt to pardon himself? **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [November 3, 2020, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-believe-that-trump-will-attempt-to-pardon-himself/924660 "2020-11-03T18:25:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Nars\_Glinley](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nars_glinley/32/8177_2.png) [@Nars\_Glinley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nars_Glinley)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2020, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-believe-that-trump-will-attempt-to-pardon-himself/924660/1 "2020-11-03T18:25:17Z")
Assuming that Trump loses the election, do you think that he will issue a generic pardon to relieve himself of any potential federal crimes as Ford did with Nixon? Note that I’m not asking if he will be successful, just whether or not he will try. _Poll ([view on site](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-believe-that-trump-will-attempt-to-pardon-himself/924660/1))_ ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2020, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-believe-that-trump-will-attempt-to-pardon-himself/924660/2 "2020-11-03T18:28:37Z")
For me, the question is: why _wouldn’t_ he? ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Winston\_OBoogie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.winston_oboogie/32/2945_2.png) [@Dr.Winston\_OBoogie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Winston_OBoogie)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2020, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-believe-that-trump-will-attempt-to-pardon-himself/924660/3 "2020-11-03T18:29:56Z")
He won’t, simply because that would be admitting that he did something wrong. ---
**Author:** ![QuickSilver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quicksilver/32/7832_2.png) [@QuickSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuickSilver)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2020, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-believe-that-trump-will-attempt-to-pardon-himself/924660/4 "2020-11-03T18:30:16Z")
_‘Totally innocent. I’m like the most innocent president ever. Nobody has seen a president more innocent than me since Lincoln.’_ ---
**Author:** ![BeepKillBeep](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/9e8a1a/32.png) [@BeepKillBeep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BeepKillBeep)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2020, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-believe-that-trump-will-attempt-to-pardon-himself/924660/5 "2020-11-03T18:32:01Z")
Yes, or have Pence do it (I voted yes). ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2020, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-believe-that-trump-will-attempt-to-pardon-himself/924660/6 "2020-11-03T18:36:50Z")
Of course he will. I can’t conceive of him not doing it. Fat lot of good it will do him in NY courts and even for federal crimes it has never been tested in court, since no prior president had need to self-pardon. I hope he resigns and says, “Okay, Mikey! Remember you promised to pardon me!” and then have Pence say “Fuck off! I’ve been eating your shit for four years and you can go take a long walk on a short pier!” ---
**Author:** ![Nars\_Glinley](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nars_glinley/32/8177_2.png) [@Nars\_Glinley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nars_Glinley)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2020, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-believe-that-trump-will-attempt-to-pardon-himself/924660/7 "2020-11-03T18:39:35Z")
> [@BeepKillBeep](#): > > Yes, or have Pence do it (I voted yes). So, you think Trump would resign? If he did, then I wouldn’t doubt that it would pass muster with the courts. Of course, there’s always New York. ---
**Author:** ![BeepKillBeep](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/9e8a1a/32.png) [@BeepKillBeep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BeepKillBeep)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2020, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-believe-that-trump-will-attempt-to-pardon-himself/924660/8 "2020-11-03T18:39:54Z")
I hope that doesn’t happen because I would probably literally die laughing. (not really) ---
**Author:** ![Deeg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/deeg/32/2955_2.png) [@Deeg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Deeg)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2020, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-believe-that-trump-will-attempt-to-pardon-himself/924660/9 "2020-11-03T18:40:27Z")
No, because if he decides it’s necessary he will have Pence do it. ---
**Author:** ![BeepKillBeep](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/9e8a1a/32.png) [@BeepKillBeep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BeepKillBeep)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2020, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-believe-that-trump-will-attempt-to-pardon-himself/924660/10 "2020-11-03T18:40:53Z")
I think he’s above all self-serving. Better to have immunity from Federal charges and take your chances in the states, then have no protection at all. It will be a last minute thing, he’ll probably make some speech about how’s he only doing this because the deep state is out to get him, but everyone knows he’s the greatest president of all time. ---
**Author:** ![Two\_Many\_Cats2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/779978/32.png) [@Two\_Many\_Cats2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Two_Many_Cats2)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2020, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-believe-that-trump-will-attempt-to-pardon-himself/924660/11 "2020-11-03T18:42:25Z")
Of course. Article 2 means he can do whatever he wants. 🙄 ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2020, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-believe-that-trump-will-attempt-to-pardon-himself/924660/12 "2020-11-03T18:45:11Z")
> [@BobLibDem](#): > > then have Pence say “Fuck off! I’ve been eating your shit for four years and you can go take a long walk on a short pier!” - A Slinky has more spine than Pence. ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2020, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-believe-that-trump-will-attempt-to-pardon-himself/924660/13 "2020-11-03T18:49:08Z")
I don’t know. Imagine you’re Pence. After four years of having to take Donnie’s side on every issue great and small, after having to cast adoring looks his way at every photo op, all the time knowing he is a serial adulterer- don’t you think it might be tempting to tell him to pound sand just once? ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2020, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-believe-that-trump-will-attempt-to-pardon-himself/924660/14 "2020-11-03T18:50:25Z")
> [@Dr.Winston\_OBoogie](#): > > He won’t, simply because that would be admitting that he did something wrong. That. He’s going to brazen it out - pardoning himself would be admitting he did something not honest. Now that he’s gotten a taste of political adulation, narcissist that he is he’s going want to be a right-wing hero/martyr until the end of his days. He’ll be tweeting about cheating Democrats and right-wing conspiracy theories for the rest of his life. He’ll rely on obfuscation, bluster, money and claims of “presidential immunity” to worm his way through any legal obstacles. It may not work, but what he is not going to do is admit to the public that he did anything wrong. ---
**Author:** ![BeepKillBeep](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/9e8a1a/32.png) [@BeepKillBeep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BeepKillBeep)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2020, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-believe-that-trump-will-attempt-to-pardon-himself/924660/15 "2020-11-03T18:55:22Z")
I agree he won’t admit he did anything wrong. He’ll get the pardon because his enemies are out to get him using fake news. “It is all made up, fake news, all fake. To keep the fake evil Democrats and the deep state, the swamp they say, the swamp, I’m taking a pardon, which makes me immune to all federal and state charges. Total immunity. The best immunity.” - Donald Trump, January 19th, 2021 ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2020, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-believe-that-trump-will-attempt-to-pardon-himself/924660/16 "2020-11-03T18:57:51Z")
> [@BobLibDem](#): > > I don’t know. Imagine you’re Pence. After four years of having to take Donnie’s side on every issue great and small, after having to cast adoring looks his way at every photo op, all the time knowing he is a serial adulterer- don’t you think it might be tempting to tell him to pound sand just once? - 1. Don’t make me imagine being Pence. What did I ever do to you? 😉 2.Pence took the job knowing what he was getting into. ---
**Author:** ![Pardel-Lux](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pardel-lux/32/20182_2.png) [@Pardel-Lux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pardel-Lux)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2020, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-believe-that-trump-will-attempt-to-pardon-himself/924660/17 "2020-11-03T18:58:38Z")
Of course he will, because he is afraid and a coward. Totally in character. Denying guilt (and his defeat, of course, totally unfair!) all the way down and blaming others who forced him to do so. ---
**Author:** ![CairoCarol](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cairocarol/32/3825_2.png) [@CairoCarol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CairoCarol)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2020, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-believe-that-trump-will-attempt-to-pardon-himself/924660/18 "2020-11-03T19:02:12Z")
I voted “no” because I’m in the “then he’d have to admit wrongdoing and he would never to that” camp. However, I guess he could claim innocence under **BeepKillBeep’s** scenario of “I’m innocent but have to do it anyway because they’re out to get me.” I just hope we get a chance to find out the real answer, since that would mean a loss that even Trump had to acknowledge. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2020, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-believe-that-trump-will-attempt-to-pardon-himself/924660/19 "2020-11-03T19:55:02Z")
I think he will, and in doing so create a situation where it’ll be the new normal. ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2020, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-believe-that-trump-will-attempt-to-pardon-himself/924660/20 "2020-11-03T20:15:55Z")
If he does, the pardon will be “perfect”. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-believe-that-trump-will-attempt-to-pardon-himself/924660.md?page=2)