DeSantis Hints He'd Pardon Trump

Interviewer Megyn Kelly homed in on whether Ron DeSantis, if elected president, would pardon Donald Trump if the former president is convicted on various charges pending or looming against him. DeSantis, citing Gerald Ford’s Watergate pardon of Richard Nixon in 1974, hinted he would for the good of the country, as well as pardoning “normal Americans” who may have been unfairly targeted.

Republican presidential candidate Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks during the Moms for Liberty Joyful Warriors national summit in Philadelphia, Pa., on June 30, 2023. Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images

Florida governor Ron DeSantis suggested strongly that if elected, he’d pardon former president Donald Trump if the latter were convicted in the various cases pending or looming against him now. And the governor floated a radical proposal for criminal justice reform in politically tinged cases.

Mr. DeSantis, a Republican presidential candidate, cited during an interview on July 28 with Megyn Kelly a historic pardon while resisting an explicit commitment to do the same for Trump.