President Donald Trump confirmed that music mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs formally requested a presidential pardon, but made clear he has no plans to consider granting it.
The revelation came during an interview with The New York Times published Thursday, in which Trump said Combs “asked me for a pardon” by sending a letter. The president added that he would not move forward with the request.
During the same interview, Trump also addressed other potential pardon scenarios. He said he would not consider pardoning recently captured Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro. When asked about the possibility of a pardon for Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis police officer convicted in the 2020 killing of George Floyd, Trump reportedly responded, “I haven’t been asked about it.”
The confirmation comes after months of speculation surrounding whether Trump might step in on Combs’ behalf. The idea of a potential pardon gained traction after Trump previously suggested he was at least aware of discussions around the matter.
Trump addressed the topic last May during an Oval Office press conference, responding to a question from Fox News White House correspondent Peter Doocy. At the time, Trump said no formal request had been made but acknowledged chatter around the possibility.
“Nobody’s asked. But I know people are thinking about it. I know they’re thinking about it,” Trump said. “I think some people have been very close to asking.”
Trump also said he had not been closely following Combs’ legal case but was aware of the intense media coverage surrounding it. He emphasized that he had not been in contact with Combs for years and suggested their relationship had cooled once Trump entered politics.
“I haven’t seen [Diddy], I haven’t spoken to him in years,” Trump said at the time. “He used to really like me a lot, but I think when I ran for politics … that relationship busted up, from what I read. I don’t know — he didn’t tell me that, but I’d read some little bit nasty statements.”
Despite the personal history, Trump stressed that any pardon decision would be based strictly on the facts of a case, not on whether the individual supported him politically or personally.
“I would certainly look at the facts,” Trump said. “If I think somebody was mistreated, whether they like me or don’t like me, it wouldn’t have any impact on me.”
Combs was convicted in July on two prostitution-related charges following a high-profile trial in New York. He faced the possibility of up to 20 years in prison but was acquitted of the more serious allegations of sex trafficking and racketeering.
Prosecutors had sought a sentence of at least 11 years, describing Combs as “unrepentant.” Ultimately, he received a sentence of just over four years in prison in October.
Trump’s latest comments appear to shut the door on any clemency for Combs, underscoring the president’s assertion that pardon decisions will be driven by case merits rather than celebrity, politics, or public pressure.
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