On January 22, President Donald Trump sat down for his first interview since his reelection with Fox News anchor Sean Hannity at the White House. The conversation itself was relatively uneventful, lacking any controversial statements — or at least, that’s how it seemed at first. However, the backdrop of Trump’s recent actions paints a far more chaotic and unpredictable picture.
In the days leading up to the interview, Trump made waves by issuing a controversial round of pardons, including one for 1500 individuals involved in the January 6th Capitol insurrection, many of whom had committed violent acts. Most shockingly, he pardoned two D.C. police officers convicted in the death of Karon Hylton-Brown, a Black man, a move that further demonstrated his selective approach to justice, where law enforcement’s actions seem to be excused when they align with his political base.
In contrast to Trump’s pardons, President Biden’s pardon spree, which came under heavy GOP scrutiny, raised eyebrows as well. While some of Biden’s pardons might seem questionable, there is a compelling argument that Trump’s actions, particularly regarding pardoning his allies and supporters, set a dangerous precedent. The key difference here, as pointed out in the interview with Hannity, is the hypocrisy embedded in Trump’s own critiques of Biden’s pardons — especially when considering his own controversial pardons and his failure to pardon himself, which he later lamented in the interview.
Trump’s remark about Biden’s pardons — specifically the failure to issue one for himself — further fueled speculation that Trump’s future plans may involve some form of political revenge. His past rhetoric hinted at retribution, and it’s unclear just how far he’ll go in pursuing it. As comedian Seth Meyers humorously pointed out, Trump’s criticism of Biden’s pardons was like “Kevin Hart criticizing someone for making too many movies,” given Trump’s own actions in pardoning January 6 rioters.
At this point, it’s difficult to predict exactly what path Trump will take, but the signs point to a continued focus on retribution and retaliation against his political opponents. Whether that leads to direct action against Biden, his critics, or others remains to be seen, but the atmosphere of unpredictability around his presidency certainly hasn’t abated.