President Donald Trump has recently disclosed his position on pardoning Sean “Diddy” Combs. It has been several months since, during a White House Press briefing, he told reporters that he would “certainly look at the facts.” However, when it eventually came to considering a pardon, amid the music mogul’s then-trial, Trump said on Friday, Aug. 1, that the pardon for Combs is unlikely.
The recent comments of the President on this case came nearly a month after Combs was acquitted of conspiracy charges on racketeering as well as s-x tr-fficking, and also convicted of lesser charges of transportation to engage in a pr-stitution, which also circled his white-collar federal trial in New York City.
“Well, he was essentially, I guess, sort of half-innocent,” Trump told Newsmax‘s Rob Finnerty. “I don’t know what they do, still in jail or something. But he was celebrating a victory, but I guess it wasn’t as good of a victory.”
Donald Trump also reflected on his personal ties with Combs, as they appeared in several photos together at some events dating back to the late ’90s. He explained that Diddy has been “very friendly” and at some points he also had Bad Boy Records boss too. He stated, “I got 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. … It’s hard.”
He continued saying, “We’re human beings. We don’t like to have things cloud our judgment, right? But when you knew someone and you were fine, and then you ran for office, and he made some terrible statements. So, I don’t know. It’s more difficult. Makes it more, I’m being honest, makes it more difficult to do.”
Q: Sean Diddy Combs. Would you consider pardoning him?
Trump: Well, he was essentially, I guess, sort of half innocent. Probably, you know I was friendly with him, I got along with him very well…
Defend this, MAGA. I’ll wait.pic.twitter.com/J907BkYiFZ
— Republicans against Trump (@RpsAgainstTrump) August 2, 2025
Talking about what Combs commented on Trump earlier, in an interview, following the initial presidential term of Trump, he said he did a “great job of rattling America.”
“Seeing what’s going on, White men like Trump need to be banished. That way of thinking it’s real dangerous. This man literally threatened the lives of us and our families for going to vote. ‘Stand back and stand by,’ ” he said, adding that “the No. 1 priority is to get Trump out of office.” And now, the President was asked if pardoning Diddy was “more likely a no”, to which he replied – “I would say so.”
Besides, in the whole segment, the President also talked about the potential pardons for Ghislaine Maxwell and Rep. George Santos, reiterating for both that Trump himself is “allowed” or has “the right to” pardon any of them.
Talking about Combs, he will be sentenced on Oct. 3 for his two pr-stitution convictions, which went on for nearly two months, and at present, he is residing at Brooklyn’s Metropolitan Detention Centre. The government is seeking a sentence that goes around 51 and 63 months in jail, with his defence countering it to be a 21 to 27-month sentence.
