Trump Pledges «Full and Complete Pardon» for Convicted Ex-Honduran President Even as He Rails Against Drug Cartels

Donald Trump, whose administration is presently under fire over his declared war on drug cartels in the Caribbean, has sparked fresh controversy by using a post on Truth Social to announce that he will grant a «Full and Complete Pardon» to a former Honduran president convicted in the United States on drug trafficking and weapons charges.

Donald Trump announced that he would grant a «Full and Complete Pardon» to disgraced former Honduran president Juan Orlando Hernández, who was convicted in the United States on drug trafficking and weapons charges, in the same breath as he waded into Honduras' upcoming elections.

«I will be granting a Full and Complete Pardon to Former President Juan Orlando Hernandez who has been, according to many people that I greatly respect, treated very harshly and unfairly.»

The conservative leader of Honduras

In a post on Truth Social, Trump tied his pledge of support for the country's future leadership to Washington's stance on Hernández and on U.S. aid to the country.

As he promoted the candidacy of conservative contender Tito Asfura, Trump wrote: «If Tito Asfura wins for President of Honduras, because the United States has so much confidence in him, his Policies, and what he will do for the Great People of Honduras, we will be very supportive.»

In the same post, Trump warned that «If he doesn't win, the United States will not be throwing good money after bad, because a wrong Leader can only bring catastrophic results to a country, no matter which country it is.»

In his post, Trump also declared that «Additionally, I will be granting a Full and Complete Pardon to Former President Juan Orlando Hernandez who has been, according to many people that I greatly respect, treated very harshly and unfairly. This cannot be allowed to happen, especially now, after Tito Asfura wins the Election, when Honduras will be on its way to Great Political and Financial Success.»

Guilty of conspiring to import cocaine into the United States

Juan Orlando Hernández, the former president of Honduras, was tried in federal court in Manhattan, New York, where a U.S. jury in March 2024 found him guilty of conspiring to import cocaine into the United States and of related firearms offenses, including possessing «destructive devices» such as machine guns.

Prosecutors accused him of turning Honduras into a «narco-state,» using the military, national police and state resources to protect and facilitate the trafficking of more than 400 tons of cocaine toward the U.S., while taking millions of dollars in bribes from major traffickers, including associates of Joaquín «El Chapo» Guzmán. After a three-week trial, Judge P. Kevin Castel sentenced Hernández in New York on June 26, 2024, to 45 years in U.S. prison and an $8 million fine, saying he was a «two-faced politician» who pretended to fight drugs while secretly protecting traffickers.

In closing his post, Trump issued a direct political call and a celebratory message, writing: «VOTE FOR TITO ASFURA FOR PRESIDENT, AND CONGRATULATIONS TO JUAN ORLANDO HERNANDEZ ON YOUR UPCOMING PARDON. Thank you for your attention to this matter. MAKE HONDURAS GREAT AGAIN!»

The preliminary results, which show conservative candidate Nasry «Tito» Asfura leading with around 41 percent of the vote, followed closely by Salvador Nasralla with about 39 percent and Rixi Moncada near 20 percent, come after weeks of mutual fraud accusations from both major parties, each claiming irregularities in the voting and counting process.

This content was created with the help of AI.