Trump reaffirmed his intention to pardon former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernández

The President of the United States, Donald Trump, stated that the Government of former President Joe Biden “set a trap” for former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernández and thus justified the decision to grant him a pardon, despite the fact that the former head of state of Honduras received in 2024 a sentence in US courts for three counts of drug trafficking. The announcement of the pardon was released on Friday, but the president expanded his arguments this Sunday during a conversation with the press on the Air Force One. Trump maintained that his conclusion arose after an internal review. “The people of Honduras really thought they had been set up (…) a trap by the Biden Administration, and I analyzed the facts and agreed with them,” the president pointed out. The president avoided directly blaming Biden and directed his criticism at the team that accompanied the Democrat during his administration. Trump mentioned that Biden’s advisors were part of the alleged setup, although he did not specify names or specific positions. The accusation appears in a political context marked by the Honduran elections, which took place this Sunday, in which Trump reiterated his support for Nasry “Tito” Asfura, conservative candidate of the National Party. The president expanded on his position on the Hernandez case and questioned the grounds that led to the Honduran’s conviction. “If someone sells drugs (in a country), that doesn’t mean the president should be arrested and put in jail for life”, he stated. The phrase referred to the accusations of the US Attorney’s Office, which linked the former president to activities related to drug trafficking since 2013.