Elon Musk just proved that he is a man with a golden heart. In recent news, the famous business tycoon suggested President Donald Trump consider pardoning Derek Chauvin, the same police officer who was convicted of killing George Floyd. On March 4, Elon Musk took to Twitter (now X) and reposted a video from conservative commentator Ben Shapiro, who supported Trump to pardon Chauvin.
Alongside the post, Musk wrote, “Shapiro said pardoning Chauvin for federal charges would be “incredibly controversial, but I think it’s necessary.” In Ben Shapiro’s three-minute video, he said that Chauvin was wrongly convicted and urged the president to free him. Shapiro also questioned the evidence against him and argued instances like George Floyd had pre-existing heart conditions and fentanyl in his system, among several others.
As per the Star Tribune, Chauvin is serving two sentences for federal and state convictions after he knelt on the neck of Floyd and choked him for nine and a half minutes before he passed away on May 25, 2020, after struggling to breathe for a long time.
The scene began when a store clerk suspected him of using a counterfeit $20 bill and called the police. His death sparked widespread criticism, and thousands spoke about the injustice against people of colour and the dark side of police brutality that stays unspoken.
However, even if Trump decides to pardon Chauvin, he cannot cancel his 22.5-year state sentence, allotted in 2021. His anticipated release date is currently December 10, 2035. Chauvin was initially found guilty of three charges, including murder. However, he later pleaded guilty in his federal trial, and in 2022, Senior U.S. District Judge Paul Magnuson sentenced him to 245 months in jail.
Something to think about https://t.co/KbZQEMpFXP
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 4, 2025
As a part of the system and federal plea, the convicted police officer decided not to challenge the sentence except on the grounds of inadequate assistance of counsel—which he is now using to try to overturn his federal conviction. Meanwhile, Chauvin also suffered a horrific assault in 2023, where the poor guy got stabbed 22 times and badly injured by another inmate in the prison.
According to the designated state laws, convicts are given their sentences. Since in Minnesota, criminals serve two-thirds of their sentence in jail, Chauvin is supposed to be under five-year probation when he is released in 2035.
View this post on Instagram
Many people have supported Derek Chauvin, saying he was wrongly convicted, and supported Elon Musk’s thoughts. In addition, Ben Shapiro has also claimed that Chauvin’s arrest has sparked unnecessary racial tensions in America. On the other hand, others believe that Chauvin’s arrest will be a sign of justice for George Floyd.
With Donald Trump’s unexpected political moves, whether he will abide by Elon Musk and Ben Shapiro’s advice and look into the case is unknown. For better or for worse, at least social media has helped the world witness these critical cases that matter.
