President Donald Trump says he’s still considering whether to grant a presidential pardon to music mogul Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs, who was recently convicted on federal charges.
Combs is currently being held at Brooklyn’s Metropolitan Detention Center after being found guilty on two out of five federal charges following a high-profile trial in early July. He was acquitted of the most severe charges, including sex trafficking and racketeering conspiracy. However, despite multiple attempts to secure bail, the partial conviction has kept him behind bars.
Following the trial’s conclusion, Trump told Newsmax, “He was celebrating a victory, but he seems, I guess it wasn’t as good of a victory.” He described the outcome as “half-innocent.”
Prior to the verdict, there had been speculation that Trump might consider granting clemency to Combs. Now that the rapper has made a formal request for a pardon, the president seems hesitant.
“Probably — hmm,” Trump responded when asked directly about the possibility. “You know, I was very friendly with him. I get along with him great. Seemed like a nice guy. I didn’t know him well. But when I ran for office, he was very hostile.”
Trump and Combs have crossed paths in the past, including at Diddy’s well-known parties. During an episode of Celebrity Apprentice, Trump defended Combs when contestant Aubrey O’Day, a former member of Combs’ girl group Danity Kane, appeared reluctant to speak about him.
That cordial relationship, however, soured in 2020 when Combs publicly criticized Trump’s leadership. “White men like Trump need to be banished,” the rapper said at the time.
“It’s hard, you know, like we’re human beings and we don’t like to have things cloud our judgment,” Trump told Newsmax. “But when you know something and you were fine and then you run for office and he made some terrible statements, so I don’t know… it’s more difficult, makes it more difficult, I’m being honest, it makes it more difficult to do.”
When pressed, Trump acknowledged he’s currently leaning against granting the pardon.
“The White House will not confirm or deny pardons that may or may not happen,” a source told Mirror US.
