Counting presidential pardons usually feels like a dry math exercise. But with Donald Trump, the numbers tell a story that's anything but boring. If you’re looking for a simple answer to how many Trump pardons exist, you have to look at two very different chapters: the traditional first term and the explosive start to his second.
Honestly, the sheer volume in early 2025 shifted the scales so fast that historians are still blinking. By the end of his first term in January 2021, Trump had granted clemency to 238 people. That included 144 pardons and 94 commutations. Fast forward to today, January 2026, and that number has skyrocketed into the thousands.
Most of this surge happened in a single day.
The Numbers Game: First Term vs. Second Term
In his first four years, Trump was actually somewhat conservative with his pen compared to giants like Harry Truman. He mostly used his power for high-profile allies—think Roger Stone and Michael Flynn—or cases brought to him by celebrities like Kim Kardashian, who advocated for Alice Marie Johnson.
But January 20, 2025, changed everything.
Basically, the moment he stepped back into the Oval Office, Trump issued a blanket pardon for approximately 1,500 defendants charged or convicted in connection with the January 6 Capitol attack. Just like that, his total count jumped from a few hundred to over 1,700.
As of late 2025, the tally looks roughly like this:
- First Term (2017-2021): 144 Pardons
- Second Term (Starting Jan 2025): 1,600+ Pardons (and counting)
Who Got Lucky? The Notable Names
It’s not just about the "how many," it’s about the "who." Trump has a very specific style. He tends to bypass the Department of Justice's Office of the Pardon Attorney, which is the "proper" way to do things. Instead, he often listens to friends, lobbyists, or folks he sees on the news.
The Crypto and Business Crowd
In late 2025, we saw a massive wave of pardons for tech and finance figures.
- Ross Ulbricht: The Silk Road founder, who was serving life, finally got his pardon. This was a huge deal for the Libertarian crowd.
- Changpeng Zhao (CZ): The former Binance CEO received a full pardon in October 2025 after his anti-money laundering conviction.
- The BitMEX Founders: Arthur Hayes and his partners were also cleared.
Political Allies and "Preemptive" Pardons
This is where it gets spicy. In November 2025, Trump issued what people call "preemptive pardons" for folks like Rudy Giuliani, Mark Meadows, and Sidney Powell. These aren't for crimes they were convicted of, but rather to protect them from future federal charges.
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Giuliani, in particular, has been in the legal wringer for years. A federal pardon doesn't stop state cases in Georgia or New York, but it basically builds a fortress around them at the national level.
Why the Second Term is So Different
You’ve probably noticed the vibe shifted. In the first term, pardons felt like "rewards." In 2025 and 2026, they feel more like "policy."
By pardoning 1,500 people at once on Inauguration Day, Trump used the clemency power to make a statement about the justice system itself. He’s essentially saying the prosecutions were wrong from the start. It’s a move that has legal scholars pulling their hair out because it’s so rare to see a "blanket" pardon of that scale. The last time we saw something even close was when Jimmy Carter pardoned Vietnam War draft evaders.
The Cost of Clemency
There’s a detail most people miss: money.
A lot of these pardons didn’t just open cell doors; they erased massive fines. Recent reports from late 2025 suggest that Trump’s second-term pardons have wiped out nearly $1.4 billion in court-ordered restitution and fines.
Take the case of Joseph Schwartz, a nursing home executive convicted of fraud. He was pardoned in November 2025, effectively walking away from a massive financial penalty. For victims of these crimes, the pardon feels less like "mercy" and more like a lost paycheck.
Comparing Trump to Other Presidents
If you look at the all-time leaderboard, Trump is now climbing the ranks.
- Harry Truman: 1,913 pardons (mostly related to post-WWII issues).
- Donald Trump: ~1,800+ (and he's still in office).
- Barack Obama: 212 pardons (but a record-breaking 1,715 commutations, mostly for drug offenses).
The big difference is that Obama focused on reducing sentences for people already in jail for non-violent drug crimes. Trump focuses on full pardons that completely wipe the record clean, often for people who haven't even finished their trials yet.
What Most People Get Wrong
People often think a pardon means "I didn't do it."
Legally, it’s actually the opposite. Acceptance of a pardon can be seen as an admission of guilt. But in the current political climate, that nuance is basically gone. For Trump and his supporters, the pardon is a "certificate of exoneration," even if the law books say otherwise.
Also, remember: Trump cannot pardon state crimes. If a DA in Manhattan or a prosecutor in Fulton County, Georgia, gets a conviction, the President’s pen is useless. That’s why you still see his allies fighting tooth and nail in state courts—they know the White House can't save them there.
What’s Next for the Pardon Pen?
We aren't done. With 2026 just beginning, there are thousands of applications sitting on the desk of the new "Pardon Czar," Alice Marie Johnson.
If you're tracking these numbers for a project or just out of pure curiosity, keep an eye on the "No MAGA Left Behind" policy mentioned by Ed Martin, the current head of the pardon office. It suggests that the total count of how many Trump pardons we see could easily pass the 2,000 mark by the end of the year.
If you want to stay truly informed, don't just look at the raw numbers. Look at the "restitution" lines in the official proclamations. That’s where the real impact—the millions of dollars in forgiven debt—actually lives. You can find the full, updated list of names on the Department of Justice’s clemency database, though be warned: it’s currently lagging behind the White House’s rapid-fire announcements.
To get a clearer picture of the legal landscape, your next step should be looking into the difference between a "pardon" and a "commutation," as the latter leaves the conviction on the record while only shortening the time served. Check the official White House briefings from the last three months to see the specific justifications used for the most recent batch of 77 pardons issued in November.