Trump Signs Executive Order Granting Blanket Pardons for 2020 Election-Related Offenses

Trump signed an executive order on November 7, 2025 titled "Granting Pardons for Certain Offenses Related to the 2020 Presidential Election," extending categorical clemency to an entire class of election-related conduct. The order functioned like Carter's 1977 Vietnam draft pardon but applied to election interference activities, covering offenses without naming specific individuals. Critics argued the order used clemency power to nullify accountability for conduct that challenged a democratic election result.