Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs Requested Trump Pardon, but President Is ‘Not Considering’ It

In a conversation with the New York Times this week, former President Donald Trump confirmed a longstanding rumor: music and business mogul Sean "Diddy" Combs has formally requested a presidential pardon. Trump, who received the appeal via letter, stated he is not currently disposed to grant it, marking the first official confirmation of the plea's existence.

The request originates from Sean John Combs, the 56-year-old founder of Bad Boy Records who is currently serving a 50-month prison sentence for convictions related to prostitution. His appeal enters a clemency environment heavily influenced by Trump's previous decisions. Notably, Trump issued pardons to all individuals convicted for their roles in the January 6th Capitol breach. In a major foreign policy clemency act, he also granted clemency to former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernández, who was sentenced in 2024 to 45 years for conspiring to import cocaine into the United States. This pattern has led some analysts to argue that personal and political considerations have, at times, superseded traditional legal advisory channels in this administration's pardon process.

Trump detailed the personal history complicating the decision, recalling to reporters that the two were once friendly before his 2015 presidential run. "I was very friendly with him. I got along with him great," Trump stated, but noted the relationship deteriorated during his campaign. This shift was publicly evident when Combs became a vocal critic during Trump's 2020 re-election bid, at one point declaring that "white men like Trump need to be banished." Trump framed this past hostility as a significant barrier, telling reporters last October, "When you knew someone and you were fine and then you run for office and he made some terrible statements… it makes it more difficult to do."

The dynamic underscores how deeply personal and political histories can influence clemency proceedings at the highest level. Unlike more routine pardon requests vetted through the Justice Department's Office of the Pardon Attorney, high-profile appeals like this one often become intertwined with broader narratives of loyalty and public conflict. As such, Combs's request faces steep odds, serving as a prominent example of how past political rhetoric can directly impact appeals for judicial mercy in today's polarized climate.