Trump Announces Potential Pardon for Former Honduran President Ahead of Election
Washington, DC – United States President Donald Trump has announced his intention to pardon former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez, just days before Honduras’s closely contested presidential election scheduled for November 30, 2025.
The proclamation, made on Friday, comes as Trump has publicly endorsed Nasry “Tito” Asfura, the conservative National Party candidate in the election. hernandez previously served as president of Honduras from 2014 to 2022, having been elected as the National Party’s candidate.
Hernandez is currently serving a 45-year prison sentence in the United States after being extradited from Honduras and convicted on charges of drug trafficking last year. Trump, in a post on Truth Social, stated that Hernandez has been “treated very harshly and unfairly,” citing the opinions of “many people that I greatly respect.”
Trump also reiterated his support for Asfura, who is competing against four other candidates in a race marked by scandal. He warned that a loss for Asfura could lead to a cessation of US aid to Honduras, echoing a similar threat made prior to Argentina’s presidential election in October, where he supported Javier Milei.
“If he doesn’t win,the United States will not be throwing good money after bad,because a wrong Leader can only bring catastrophic results to a country,no matter which country it is,” Trump wrote.
The US President has also leveled accusations against other candidates in the Honduran race, specifically Rixi Moncada of the LIBRE party and Salvador Nasralla of the Liberal Party, alleging they are influenced by Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. Both Moncada and Nasralla have denied these claims. Trump has simultaneously increased pressure on Maduro’s government,including increased US military presence in the region and discussion of potential land operations to combat drug trafficking.
The potential pardon has drawn scrutiny given trump’s governance’s stated commitment to combating drug cartels and narcotics smuggling. during Hernandez’s trial, prosecutors presented evidence alleging he collaborated with cartels to smuggle over 400 tonnes of cocaine into the US, including connections to the Sinaloa cartel, which the Trump administration had designated as a “foreign terrorist organisation.” Prosecutors argued Hernandez received millions of dollars in cartel bribes to advance his political career.
Upon Hernandez’s sentencing, former US Attorney General Merrick Garland stated that Hernandez had effectively turned Honduras into a “narco-state,” allowing drug traffickers to operate with impunity and causing harm to both Honduran and American citizens.
