President Trump said he is prepared to issue preemptive pardons to people who worked in his administration if Democrats win control of Congress on Tuesday and move to prosecute them, according to a “Pod Force One” interview with New York Post columnist Miranda Devine released Monday morning.
“I would if I needed to. Sure,” Trump told Devine, according to the New York Post. Asked whether that would cover everyone who had worked for him, the president reaffirmed it, the Post reported. “I’d do it,” he said, according to the Post. “I did it for J6.”
Trump vows to protect Musk, floats pre-emptive staff pardons https://t.co/jAXeaxqmBe
— Axios (@axios) November 2, 2026
Axios also reported Monday that Trump “floated” preemptive pardons for staff and others around him if Democrats win the midterm elections.
Trump points to Biden’s final-day pardons
Trump pardoned roughly 1,500 defendants from the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot on his first day back in office in 2025, the New York Post noted. In the interview, he pointed to former President Joe Biden, who in his final hours in office pardoned Dr. Anthony Fauci, Gen. Mark Milley, the members and staff of the House Jan. 6 committee and several of his own relatives, including his son Hunter, according to the Post.
“That’s what Biden did. He gave everybody a pardon,” Trump said, according to the Post. He called the Jan. 6 panel “the unselect committee” and “a corrupt committee,” the Post reported.
Democrats have talked openly about prosecutions
The comments come after Democrats signaled they would go after Trump officials if they take power. Last month, Sen. Elissa Slotkin of Michigan said at a University of Chicago event that a Democratic majority should pursue “signature cases” against “the people who enable” Trump, with the goal of making young conservatives think twice about taking administration jobs, according to the New York Post. “I want that deterrence message sent,” Slotkin said, according to the Post.
The Post also reported that Rep. Jamie Raskin of Maryland, the likely next House Judiciary chairman if Democrats flip the chamber, has promised to dig into what he calls the administration’s “systemic corruption.”
“We’ll have to protect them”
Devine also asked about talk on the left of investigating or arresting Elon Musk, according to both outlets. “It won’t happen. It’s talk,” Trump said, according to the New York Post. “But if it is talk, we’ll have to protect them.” Axios reported that Trump said he would move to protect Musk if Democrats investigate the SpaceX and Tesla CEO after the election.
There are limits to what a pardon can do. Presidential pardons cover only federal crimes and offer no protection from state prosecutions, civil lawsuits or impeachment, the New York Post noted.
Asked whether he himself would be in Democrats’ crosshairs, Trump sounded less sure. “Well, I don’t know about me,” he said, according to the Post.
Election eve
Polls show Democrats favored to win the House, according to the New York Post. Trump called the polls “rigged” and pointed to the size of his rally crowds as a sign Republicans will outperform expectations, the Post reported. “We’ll know on Tuesday night,” he said.
The interview is the same election-eve “Pod Force One” episode in which Trump said he would become “Mr. Veto” if Democrats win both chambers. Voters head to the polls Tuesday, Nov. 3.
Sources
- New York Post: Trump reveals he’ll use preemptive pardons to protect staff, allies if Dems take Congress
- Axios: Trump vows to protect Musk, floats pre-emptive staff pardons
- Axios on X
Sources cited
Sources
- Original post: Axios (@axios) on X, Nov 2, 2026
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