If you’ve spent any time following the legal circus surrounding the 45th and 47th President, you’ve probably asked yourself: did Michael Cohen get a pardon? It’s a fair question. After all, Donald Trump handed out pardons like candy to his inner circle during the final days of his first term. Paul Manafort got one. Roger Stone got one. Even Charles Kushner made the cut.
But Michael Cohen? That’s a whole different story.
The short answer is no. Michael Cohen never received a presidential pardon from Donald Trump. In fact, by the time the moving vans were at the White House in January 2021, the bridge between the two men wasn't just burned—it was vaporized.
Why the "Fixer" was left in the cold
For a decade, Cohen was the guy who would "take a bullet" for Trump. He was the pitbull, the enforcer, the man who handled the "dirty deeds" (his words, not mine). But when the FBI raided his Park Avenue apartment and his office at Rockefeller Center in April 2018, everything changed.
The breakdown was brutal. Honestly, it was like watching a high-stakes divorce play out on cable news. Trump initially called Cohen a "fine person" and a "brave man." Then, Cohen flipped. He pleaded guilty to tax evasion, bank fraud, and—most significantly—campaign finance violations related to hush-money payments.
He didn't just plead guilty, though. He pointed the finger directly at "Individual-1," claiming he acted at the direction of the candidate. You don't get a pardon after you call your boss a "conman" and a "cheat" in front of a global television audience.
The Biden pardon request that went nowhere
Fast forward to early 2025. With Donald Trump set to return to the White House for a second term, Cohen made a last-ditch effort. He actually applied for a pardon from outgoing President Joe Biden.
It was a wild move. Cohen even went on the radio—specifically Jesse Jackson Jr.’s show on KBLA—to plead his case. He argued that he should be treated the same as Hunter Biden. He felt that because he was "target number one" of the Trump administration's retaliation, he deserved a clean slate.
Biden didn't bite.
Despite the White House (at the time) acknowledging that the President believed in second chances, Cohen’s name was notably absent from the final list of executive clemency. So, as of 2026, Michael Cohen remains a convicted felon.
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Did Michael Cohen get a pardon for his state crimes?
This is where things get legally messy. Even if Trump wanted to pardon Cohen (which he definitely doesn't), he couldn't touch everything. Presidential pardons only apply to federal crimes.
- Federal Convictions: Tax evasion, lying to Congress, and campaign finance violations.
- State Issues: The Manhattan District Attorney’s hush-money case—the one where Trump was actually convicted on 34 felony counts—involved Cohen as the star witness.
Because Cohen was never actually charged with state-level crimes in that specific Manhattan case (he was an unindicted co-conspirator who had already served federal time), there was no state conviction to pardon. However, if he had been, only the Governor of New York could have stepped in.
The cost of "flipping"
Cohen’s lack of a pardon is basically the price of his testimony. Look at the people who did get pardoned. They stayed silent. They didn't cooperate. They challenged the "Deep State" narrative.
Cohen did the opposite. He went on a "redemption tour," started the Mea Culpa podcast, and wrote tell-all books like Disloyal. He became the primary engine behind the legal troubles that eventually led to Trump’s own criminal trials in New York.
The legal reality for Cohen is pretty stark:
- He served his three-year sentence (a mix of prison and home confinement due to COVID-19).
- He finished his supervised release in 2024.
- He remains disbarred and cannot practice law in New York.
- His criminal record is permanent unless a future president decides to take pity on him—which seems unlikely given his current standing with both sides of the aisle.
What about those "retaliatory" jailings?
One of the more dramatic chapters in this saga involved Cohen being sent back to prison in 2020. He was out on home confinement, but after he refused to sign an agreement that would prevent him from publishing his book or speaking to the media, authorities hauled him back to Otisville.
A federal judge eventually stepped in, calling it "retaliatory" and ordering his release. Cohen tried to sue Trump and the government for this, taking it all the way to the Supreme Court. In late 2024, the Supreme Court basically told him "no thanks" and declined to hear the case.
Where does Michael Cohen stand in 2026?
Right now, Michael Cohen is living a life that is fundamentally "un-pardoned." He is a private citizen, a media personality, and a constant thorn in the side of the current administration.
While he expressed interest in a pardon from Biden—mostly because he's tired of the "felon" label and the restrictions that come with it—the reality is that he has become too politically polarizing for any executive to touch. Republicans view him as a traitor; many Democrats view him as a convenient witness but an untrustworthy ally.
If you're looking for a silver lining for him, it’s that he’s out. He’s done his time. He’s not behind bars. But the legal "grace" of a pardon? That ship has sailed, hit an iceberg, and sunk to the bottom of the Atlantic.
Actionable Insights for Following This Story:
- Check the Pacer files: If you want the raw truth, look at the Southern District of New York (SDNY) court records. Media summaries often miss the nuance of his supervised release conditions.
- Monitor the Office of the Pardon Attorney: All federal pardon applications are tracked. You can see the status of pending requests, though the deliberations are private.
- Distinguish Federal vs. State: Remember that the "Hush Money" trial was state-level. When people talk about pardons in that context, they are often confusing the two different legal systems.
- Watch the 2026 Midterms: Political shifts often influence the "pardon climate," though Cohen is likely too "radioactive" for any candidate to champion.