US President Donald Trump has stated he would be willing to consider the preliminary forgiveness of each member of his staff at the White House if they face prosecution before the end of his second mandate.
I would if necessary, of course. I wouldn’t think long, I would just do it, but Trump, 80, said in an interview on Monday for the newspaper “New.” York Post, with journalist Miranda Devne.
He also referred to his decision to forgive about 1,500 persons involved in the violent attack on the Capitol on January 6, 2021, which he received on the first day of the second presidential mandate, transmits Telegrafi.
Trump’s statements come at a time when the Democrats have created a nine-point advantage in the polls, ahead of Tuesday’s elections for control of the House of Representatives and Senate. Meanwhile, approval of the president’s work has fallen to the lowest registered level of 32 percent.
If the Democrats regain control of the House of Representatives, they will be able to expand investigations into the president, his administration, family, political allies and business associates.
Through the competencies of Congress, they can request documents, call witnesses, conduct interrogations under oath, organise public hearings and even initiate procedures for the dismissal of his president or cabinet officials.
One of the people who might be targeted by the investigation is Elon Musk, the richest man in the world. The executive director of the Tesla company and one of Trump’s leading financial supporters has invested hundreds of millions of dollars in support of the republican president and candidates.
Musk, who headed the controversial DOGE initiative of the Trump Administration, has been linked to cutting off about 250 thousand jobs in federal administration, while his companies have obtained significant government contracts.
During the interview, Devne asked Trump about the possibility of a democratic investigation into Musk’s business relations with the American administration.
The president dismissed threats of investigation, naming them as baseless statements, but hinted it would intervene to protect his allies if the Democrats concreteised these threats.
That’s not gonna happen. It’s just words. But if it remains only at the level of statements, we will have to protect them, Trump said.
Asked whether he expects the Democrats to take action directly against him, the president replied he was not safe. He also claimed that any democratic success in this week’s elections could be the result of manipulations, adding that we will see him Tuesday evening.
His statements came after, in April, The Wall Street Journal reported that White House officials had said Trump had repeatedly mentioned the possibility of broad forgiveness for his allies during talks with his closest advisers.
According to the newspaper, the president had told officials he would forgive whoever was within 200 metres of Ovale Office.
At the time, the then White House spokeswoman, Caroline Leavet, reacted by saying that journalists should learn to understand a joke, but stressed that the president’s ability to extend forgiveness is absolute.
In Monday’s interview, Trump also mentioned his Democrat predecessor, Joe Biden, who, according to him, had taken a similar action before leaving the White House in 2025.
In the last few hours of his presidency, Beden had apologized for senior administration figures, including General Mark Milley and Dr. Anthony Fauci, as well as for investigators of the House of Representatives committee that reviewed the January 6th attack. He had also forgiven several of his family members, including the son Hunter Biden.
So did Biden. He forgave everyone, Trump said. /Telegraphy/
