President Donald Trump has suggested he might be open to pardoning Sean “Diddy” Combs if the Bad Boy mogul ends up convicted. That’s an interesting if, but Trump’s been known to enjoy dangling headlines like bait on a hook.
“I would certainly look at the facts if I think somebody was mistreated, whether they like me or don’t like me,” Trump said this week, speaking from the Oval Office. “It wouldn’t have any impact on me.”
This all comes as Combs is entrenched in a highly publicized sex-trafficking trial in Manhattan federal court. Facing a laundry list of charges, including racketeering, sex trafficking, and transportation to engage in prostitution, Combs has been in the courtroom almost every day since his arrest last fall.
He sat stone-faced this week as a former personal assistant, identified as “Mia,” testified that she was sexually assaulted multiple times by the music executive and witnessed a disturbing pattern of abuse, manipulation, and violence — claims that mirror earlier testimony from singer and ex-girlfriend Cassie Ventura.
As for a pardon? Trump insists no one from Combs’ team has officially asked — yet.
🔥🚨BREAKING: Trump just floated the idea of pardoning Diddy.
— Brian Allen (@allenanalysis) May 30, 2025
Not because of the evidence.
Not because of the facts.
But because, and I quote, “He used to really like me a lot.” pic.twitter.com/9B4IOamOCS
“I know people are thinking about it,” Trump said, teasing the idea in the way only he does. “I know they’re thinking about it. I think people have been very close to asking.”
Combs and Trump have a complicated history. Back in the early 2000s, Diddy was a known associate of Trump’s, at least professionally and socially. The hip-hop mogul appeared on The Apprentice and had photo ops with the former real estate magnate. But once Trump entered the political arena, Diddy, like many in hip-hop, kept his distance.
“He used to really like me a lot,” Trump recalled. “But I think when I ran for politics, that sort of relationship busted up.”
Despite saying he’s not following the case too closely, Trump seems well aware of the media frenzy surrounding it. And in typical Trump fashion, he left the door open just wide enough for speculation to run wild.
Let’s be clear: Diddy hasn’t been convicted of anything yet. But if that day comes, it sounds like the mogul could have a potential lifeline, depending on the court of public opinion and Trump’s mood at the time.
