United States | Capitol offences

Will Donald Trump now pardon the January 6th rioters?

He has the power to do so, but it would be another norm-smashing act

Pro-Trump protesters gather in front of the U.S. Capitol Building on January 6, 2021.
Photograph: Getty Images
|ATLANTA

Many Americans hope that Donald Trump will fulfil his campaign pledges to bring down prices and deport illegal immigrants. But a small group of convicted rioters are on tenterhooks over another electioneering promise. Mr Trump has repeatedly vowed to free his supporters who were imprisoned for storming the Capitol on January 6th 2021. He has repeatedly called them “hostages” and “unbelievable patriots” while recasting the attempt to disrupt the peaceful transfer of power as “a day of love”. “Why are they still being held?” Mr Trump mused weeks before the election. His return to the White House means he could soon pardon them all.

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This article appeared in the United States section of the print edition under the headline “Capitol offences”

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