World reacts to Donald Trump’s full list of presidential pardons

In one of his final acts as President, Donald Trump has released the list of people he’ll pardon – and there’s one people aren’t happy with.

After weeks of speculation, Donald Trump has completed one of his final acts as US President, revealing the full list – and quite a long one at that – of Americans who he would grant a presidential pardon.

There have been wild rumours almost since Mr Trump was defeated by Joe Biden in November’s presidential election about who he would choose to grant clemency to: everyone from Tiger King Joe Exotic – who reportedly had a limo waiting out the front of his prison – to the outgoing President’s three eldest children and even himself.

In the end, Mr Trump gave full pardons to 73 individuals and commuted the sentence of an additional 70.

And while he surprisingly snubbed his family – as well as personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani and WikiLeaks’ Julian Assange, who had been heavily-predicted picks – there was one controversial inclusion, made at the 11th hour, that people have claimed shows America’s 46th President stayed “corrupt to the end”.

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So it’s being reported that Trump will pardon his criminal associate, Steve Bannon, who is pending a felony trial in the Southern District of New York for stealing money from Trump’s supporters via a sham “We Build the Wall” charity.
Corrupt to the end.

— Glenn Kirschner (@glennkirschner2) January 20, 2021

Trump pardoning a guy indicted by the Trump Justice Department for defrauding Trump supporters over the fake Trump wall is a fitting ending to the Trump presidency.

— Ted Boutrous (@BoutrousTed) January 20, 2021

My mom is breaking news to me about Steve Bannon’s pardon pic.twitter.com/bVXoZaUTNA

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) January 20, 2021

Trump supporters: you didn’t get a healthcare plan, a wall, infrastructure, economic growth or jobs. But you did get COVID and Steve Bannon got a pardon for defrauding you!

— MeidasTouch.com (@MeidasTouch) January 20, 2021

A quick recap on Bannon since 2017 - trashed the president's son in the Michael Wolff book, was pushed out after a months-long battle w Kushner, Trump disparaged him, then he started backing Trump vociferously and publicly, got indicted on fraud charges, pardoned in 11th hour.

— Maggie Haberman (@maggieNYT) January 20, 2021

In “a final middle finger to his supporters”, one Twitter user wrote, Mr Trump decided to pardon his influential former adviser Steve Bannon – a man yet to even stand trial on the charges of conspiracy to commit wire fraud he was dealt last August.

Mr Bannon allegedly ripped off donors to a fundraising campaign for the building of the outgoing President’s infamous US-Mexico border wall.

“Criminal presidents that have been impeached twice shouldn’t be able to pardon other criminals,” another user wrote in reaction to the news, while someone else said the news made them “sick to my stomach”.

Steve Bannon is getting a pardon from Trump after defrauding Trump’s own supporters into paying for a wall that Trump promised Mexico would pay for.

And if that all sounds crazy, that’s because it is.

Thank God we have only 12 more hours of this den of thieves. https://t.co/8i7bjog9Ep

— Adam Schiff (@RepAdamSchiff) January 20, 2021

Trump spent the final days of his presidency sending incarcerated men and women to their deaths.

He also spent them pardoning white nationalists, like Steve Bannon.

One system for the powerful and well-connected; another system for everyone else.

Let’s put an end to it.

— Eliza Orlins (@elizaorlins) January 20, 2021

1. This morning:

Trump said: "the movement we started is just beginning"

2. Tonight:

Trump pardoned Steve Bannon who led his 2016 campaign.

Everything is connected.

This is #TrumpsNewArmy https://t.co/xrZaRP0Omd

— Don Winslow (@donwinslow) January 20, 2021

“Trump supporters gave like $10 million to a ‘build the wall’ go fund me and Steve Bannon was arrested for stealing that money,” wrote another.

“Trump just pardoned him for it. If that ain’t the biggest middle finger to Trump supporters I don’t know what is.”

“Steve Bannon is getting a pardon from Trump after defrauding Trump’s own supporters into paying for a wall that Trump promised Mexico would pay for,” Representative Adam Schiff tweeted.

“And if that all sounds crazy, that’s because it is. Thank God we only have 12 more hours of this den of thieves.”

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Donald Trump’s decision to pardon Steve Bannon has shown the President stayed “corrupt to the end”. Picture: Mandel Ngan/AFP

It’s not just Twitter users, however, that Mr Trump’s decision to pardon Mr Bannon could infuriate.

A piece in The New York Timespointed out that the call – which comes as the Senate prepares for his second, historic impeachment trial on a charge of inciting the deadly January 6 riot at the US Capitol – “could be another factor in influencing whether Republicans join Democrats in voting to convict him”.

“A pardon for Bannon makes more likely a Senate conviction for Trump,” Defending Democracy Together director Bill Kristol wrote on Twitter.