Speaking to Newsmax, Trump noted the unusual circumstances of the case, calling Combs “essentially, sort of, half-innocent” because of the mixed verdict. While he had reportedly been “seriously considering” clemency, Trump said it’s now “more likely a no.”
“Well, he was essentially half-innocent,” Trump remarked. “I don’t know why he’s still in jail. He was celebrating a victory — but I guess it wasn’t as good a victory.”
The president recalled knowing Combs from their days as high-profile New Yorkers, saying they “got along great” before politics changed the relationship. Combs stayed neutral in 2016 but endorsed Joe Biden in 2020 and warned that a Trump victory would lead to a “race war.”
“When I ran for office, he was very hostile,” Trump said. “That makes it more difficult.”
Combs, 55, faces up to 10 years in prison when he’s sentenced October 3. While he beat the government’s most aggressive charges earlier this month, jurors found him guilty on two counts of transporting individuals to engage in prostitution.
A possible pardon has been floated since the trial began. In May, Trump even suggested he was open to it, saying, “Nobody’s asked, but I know people are thinking about it.” But on Friday, he indicated the chances have dimmed.
Attorney John Koufos, who has advised Trump’s pardon team, said the lesser convictions — compared to what prosecutors originally alleged — might have spared Combs from a harsher fate but do not make him an especially sympathetic candidate for clemency.
Trump’s interest in the case dovetails with his broader campaign against what he calls the “weaponization” of the justice system — something he himself has cited while fighting his own racketeering indictment in Georgia. But he now appears ready to move on without intervening.
“I’d say it’s more likely a no,” Trump concluded.