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President Donald Trump weighed in on rumors he may choose to pardon Sean “Diddy” Combs following the rapper’s conviction last month.
Speaking to NewsMax on Friday, August 1, Trump, 79, indicated that it would most likely not occur, but spoke about the music mogul’s legal troubles.
“Well he was essentially, sort of, half-innocent. I don’t know what they do that he’s still in jail or something. He was celebrating a victory but I guess it wasn’t as good a victory,” Trump told interviewer Rob Finnerty.
The former Apprentice host also reflected on Diddy’s “hostile” attitude towards his choice to turn to politics and said the incarcerated rapper, 55, had made “terrible statements” about him running for office.
“I was very friendly with him, get along with him great, seemed like a nice guy, didn’t know him well,” Trump said. “But when I ran for office he was very hostile. But it was hard, we’re human beings and we don’t like to have things cloud our judgement, right? But when you knew someone and you were fine and then you run for office and he made some terrible statements… so I don’t know, it makes it more difficult to do.”
When Finnerty questioned whether it was “more likely a no for Combs?” in terms of a presidential pardon, Trump responded, “I’d say so.”
Deadline reported on Tuesday, July 29 that Trump was “seriously” considering pardoning Combs. The president first floated a potential pardon for Diddy in May after he issued pardons to reality television stars Todd and Julie Chrisley.
“I would certainly look at the facts. If I think somebody was mistreated, whether they like me or don’t like me, it wouldn’t have any impact on me,” he commented during a May 30 Oval Office press conference.
Trump echoed similar sentiments about his personal relationship withDiddy as those shared in the NewsMax interview.
“He used to really like me a lot, but I think when I ran for politics … that relationship busted up, from what I read,” he said. “I don’t know — he didn’t tell me that, but I’d read some little bit nasty statements in the paper all of a sudden.”
Diddy was found guilty on two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution on July 2. The rapper was cleared of three of the most egregious charges against him: two counts of sex trafficking and one count of racketeering conspiracy. (Diddy has maintained his innocence since his September 2024 arrest and denied all the charges against him.)
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