type: timeline_event
President Trump formally pardoned former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernández, who was serving a 45-year federal prison sentence for conspiring to import cocaine into the United States. Federal prosecutors had documented that Hernández facilitated the movement of approximately 400 tons of cocaine through Honduras to the U.S., receiving millions of dollars in bribes from drug cartels that he used to fuel his political rise. Judge P. Kevin Castel noted during sentencing that Hernández employed "considerable acting skills" to appear opposed to drug trafficking while actually protecting the trade.
Trump announced his intention to pardon Hernández on November 29, 2025, and the formal pardon was executed on December 2, with Hernández being immediately released from U.S. Penitentiary Hazelton in West Virginia. Trump justified the pardon by claiming Hernández was "treated very harshly and unfairly" and described it as a "Biden setup," stating: "You take any country you want, if somebody sells drugs in that country, that doesn't mean you arrest the president and put him in jail for the rest of his life." Trump said he was "asked by Honduras, many of the people of Honduras" to grant the pardon.
The pardon drew immediate bipartisan criticism from Congress. Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA) called it "shocking" and stated "President Trump cares nothing about narcotrafficking," while Senator Dick Durbin questioned: "Can you think of anyone more reprehensible than that? Selling drugs to this country, finding more victims by the day." The decision directly contradicts the administration's stated efforts to combat drug cartels in Central America. The timing was also notable, coming just one day after Honduras's December 1 presidential election, where Trump had backed the conservative National Party candidate, potentially influencing the election outcome. Hernández had cultivated favor with Trump's first administration by relocating Honduras's Israeli embassy to Jerusalem.