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How 1,500 Criminals Became “Heroes” in the Blink of an Eye

Trump and the Mass Pardon

Mary Carter
4 min readJan 22, 2025
Photo by: Jim Watson/Pool/AFP via Getty Images

“F — k it: Release them all.”

With these words, Trump didn’t just transform criminals convicted of sedition into instant martyrs — he rewrote the rules of the democratic game.

In a single presidential stroke of the pen, 1,500 people who violently attacked the heart of American democracy received not just pardons, but absolute validation of their actions.

This wasn’t a simple act of presidential mercy — it was a calculated declaration of war against the very judicial system he swore to protect, a raw demonstration of how executive power can be used to undermine the very institutions it should defend.

The mathematics of this impunity is as simple as it is disturbing: assault law enforcement officers, invade the ultimate symbol of legislative power, try to overthrow a legitimately conducted election, and if you’re lucky enough to have a president who identifies with your cause, get a golden ticket to freedom.

What message are we sending to future generations when we transform political violence into heroic acts?

How will we explain to our children that assaulting police officers can be forgivable, as long as it’s for the “right side” of history?

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