Trump Says He Would Pardon Elon Musk and Aides if Democrats Pursue Investigations
President Donald Trump said in a podcast interview that aired November 2 that he would issue preemptive pardons to Elon Musk and other White House aides if he believed it was needed to protect them from investigations by House Democrats.
WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump said he would consider preemptively pardoning Elon Musk and other White House aides if Democrats take control of the House of Representatives and pursue investigations against them, according to USA Today.
Trump made the remarks in a podcast interview with the New York Post that aired November 2. Asked about the possibility that House Democrats would arrest Musk and seize his assets if they gain power, Trump said, “It’s talk, but if it is talk, we’ll have to protect them.”
Trump said he would issue preemptive pardons to Musk and other possible targets of Democratic investigations if he believed it was needed to protect them, even if they had not been formally charged with any crimes.
“That’s what Biden did. He gave everybody a pardon,” Trump said. “I would if I needed to, sure. I wouldn’t even think about it. I did it for J6.”
What Democrats could investigate
The interview aired one day before the November 3 midterm elections, in which Democrats are strong favorites to take control of the House, according to USA Today. Control of the House would give Democrats control of committees that pursue investigations.
USA Today reported that Democrats have signaled they could pursue investigations into Musk’s time leading the Department of Government Efficiency, his companies’ contracts with the federal government, and his possible role in cutting Ukraine’s access to the Starlink satellite internet service, which is operated by Musk’s company SpaceX.
Musk spent nearly $290 million to help Trump in the 2024 election, according to the New York Times, as cited by USA Today. He has poured $474 million into boosting Republicans in the 2026 midterm election, including $212 million to help Texas Republican Senate nominee Ken Paxton, according to the New York Times.
A precedent from Biden, and Trump’s own pardon record
Before leaving the White House in 2025, President Joe Biden issued several pardons meant to shield people from possible prosecutions or investigations by the incoming Trump administration, according to USA Today. Those who received preemptive pardons included former Rep. Liz Cheney, Adam Schiff and other members of the House Select Committee that investigated the January 6 attack on the Capitol, Dr. Anthony Fauci, Gen. Mark Milley, and President Biden’s son Hunter Biden and other family members.
Trump has used his presidential pardon power often during his second term, granting clemency to more than 1,700 people, according to USA Today. The large majority of those were people charged in the January 6, 2021, storming of the Capitol. Trump has also pardoned dozens of business figures convicted of white-collar crimes.
Reporting based on coverage by USA Today.
