President Donald Trump has responded to swirling speculation over whether he might pardon rapper Sean “Diddy” Combs, saying the embattled music mogul is “half-innocent” — but ultimately not a likely recipient of presidential clemency.
Speaking with Newsmax, Trump stated he would not be offering a “get-out-of-jail card” to the Grammy-winning artist, who was recently convicted on charges related to a ***-trafficking case. His comments appeared to shut down earlier reports that he was seriously considering a pardon for Combs, who is currently awaiting sentencing in a Brooklyn jail.
Following Trump’s remarks, rapper 50 Cent — a vocal supporter of the President — celebrated on social media. He posted an AI-generated image of himself with Trump on Instagram, captioning it, “Can you believe he thought he was getting pardoned? No Sir, you are not. You said very nasty things.”
In a separate post, 50 Cent further mocked Combs, writing: “I told you I was gonna tell him what you said, Brother Love. Now don’t forget all the nasty things you said 😆 LOL.”
Fans quickly flooded the comments section with reactions. One user quipped, “That’s amazing. Now release the Epstein list.” Another wrote, “Best picture I’ve seen all day! Many Men 🎧 💯 two legends.” A third added, “Good to see 50 on the right side of things,” while a fourth joked about the realism of the AI image, asking, “Are they on a plane? It looks so real I thought it was — wow, that’s a good one, you got me there.”
When asked directly about Combs’ legal situation, Trump offered a cryptic assessment. “Well, he was essentially, sort of, half-innocent. I don’t know what they do — that he’s still in jail or something. He was celebrating a victory but I guess it wasn’t as good a victory.”
Trump also reflected on his past relationship with Combs, noting, “I was very friendly with him, got along with him great, seemed like a nice guy. Didn’t know him well.”
Combs, 55, was acquitted of the most serious charges — *** trafficking and racketeering — but was convicted on two counts related to the transportation of individuals for prostitution. He is scheduled to be sentenced on October 3 and could face up to ten years in prison.
