Sep 14, 2023 - Politics & Policy

Trump says it's "unlikely" he'll pardon himself if elected in 2024

Sareen Habeshian

Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump speaks at the Monument Leaders Rally hosted by the South Dakota Republican Party on September 08, 2023 in Rapid City, South Dakota. South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem endorsed Trump during the event. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)

Former President Trump says it's "very unlikely" he'll pardon himself if he's re-elected in 2024.

Driving the news: "I didn't do anything wrong," Trump said in an interview on NBC's "Meet the Press that's airing Sunday." "You mean because I challenge an election, they want to put me in jail?"

The big picture: Trump is leading a 2024 Republican presidential primary campaign while fighting 91 criminal counts in four jurisdictions.

What he's saying: "People said, 'Would you like to pardon yourself?'" Trump recounted of his finals days in office during the interview with NBC that was recorded on Thursday. "I had a couple of attorneys that said, 'You can do it if you want.

"The last thing I'd ever do is give myself a pardon," he claims to told the attorneys.
"On the last day, I could have had a pardon done that would have saved me all of these lawyers and all of this — these fake charges, these Biden indictments," Trump added.

Yes, but: When pressed by NBC's Kristen Welker on whether he would grant himself a pardon if he were re-elected, Trump declined to completely rule it out.

Go deeper: Why Trump can legally run for president despite indictments

Add Axios on Google

Trump says it's "unlikely" he'll pardon himself if elected in 2024

What to read next