Politics
Trump expected to issue around 100 pardons and commutations before leaving office
President Donald Trump is expected to issue around 100 pardons and commutations during his last week in office.
According to Fox News, the pardons will most likely be announced Tuesday, but there is a slight chance the White House will make them official Wednesday morning.
Trump has been announcing a number of pardons and commutations throughout his tenure in office. The final list of pardons was finalized on Sunday at the White House with his daughter Ivanka and his son-in-law, Jared Kushner.
The list reportedly includes white collar criminals, high-profile rappers and others. Dwayne Carter, known as Lil Wayne, is expected to be on the list, while former Trump advisor Steve Bannon is described as being “TBD,” Fox News has reported.
Lil Wayne pleaded guilty in 2020 in federal district court to illegally possessing a loaded, gold-plated .45-caliber handgun while traveling to Florida on a private jet in 2019. Small amounts of cocaine, ecstasy and oxycodone were also found in his bag, according to the U.S. attorney.
Also, Bannon was charged with one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering after being arrested for defrauding donors to the online fundraising campaign known as “We Build the Wall” that raised $25 million.
Trump can issue pardons up until noon on Inauguration Day.
Economy
2024 Presidential Election Details Unprecedented Diversity Shift in Republican Party
Following President-elect Donald Trump’s re-election, NBC News National Political Correspondent Steve Kornacki highlighted how the Republican Party has become “more diverse than it’s ever been in modern times.” Kornacki shared this insight on Meet The Press with Kristen Welker, explaining how data shows minority groups have increasingly moved toward the GOP, while the Democratic base has grown among white, college-educated voters.
Kornacki credited Trump’s impact on reshaping the Republican Party, noting that over the past eight years, the GOP has gained ground among voters under 30, those earning under $50,000, and those without college degrees. Using a screen to display recent election data, Kornacki compared shifts from the “pre-Trump” era in 2012 to now, showing a significant increase in support for Republicans among minority groups.
“Again, pre-Trump versus now,” he explained. “The Black vote is still overwhelmingly Democratic, but there’s been a 15-point shift. It used to be 87 points for the Democrats, down to 72. Hispanic voters, once solidly Democratic, are now basically a toss-up. And Asian Americans have moved by 32 points toward the GOP as well.”
These shifts, he said, represent a profound change since Trump first became the GOP’s leading figure, solidifying the party’s appeal to a broader array of Americans and transforming the Republican coalition.
Kornacki pointed out the reverse trend for the Democratic Party, which has increasingly attracted white voters, especially those with higher incomes and college degrees. As the Republican coalition diversified, Democrats gained support from college-educated voters and households earning more than $100,000 annually.
In a review of key swing states, Kornacki highlighted Trump’s success in securing states like Wisconsin and noted Trump’s historic achievement of winning the popular vote, a first for a Republican in 20 years. He also mentioned “giant strides” in typically blue states like California, emphasizing how Trump’s expanded voter base contributed to his overall win.
Welker confirmed that the election results are essentially finalized, though counting remains underway in some areas. “If you remember from 2020, it took about a month to get all the national popular vote,” Kornacki added, noting that California, where only 75% of ballots have been counted, will add millions of votes to the national total due to mail-in ballot delays.
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