Trump admits he doesn’t know who he pardoned
President Trump granted a pardon last month to Changpeng Zhao, a billionaire crypto founder who pleaded guilty to money-laundering violations in 2023. Zhao’s company, Binance, had even struck a business deal in May involving World Liberty Financial, the Trump family’s own crypto venture. But when the president sat down with CBS’s “60 Minutes” recently, he gave us this unforgettable moment:
“NORAH O’DONNELL: The government at the time said that CZ had caused significant harm to U.S. national security essentially by allowing terrorist groups like Hamas to move millions of dollars around. Why did you pardon him?
DONALD TRUMP: OK, are you ready? I don’t know who he is. I know he got a four-month sentence or something like that and I heard it was a Biden witch hunt.”
You heard that right — he doesn’t know the billionaire he just pardoned.
According to The New York Times, Zhao hired lawyers and lobbyists with deep Trump ties while seeking his pardon, and Binance made that lucrative deal with Trump’s crypto company, reportedly worth tens of millions a year. So, when asked if this looked like “pay for play,” here’s how Trump brushed it off:
“NORAH O’DONNELL: How do you address the appearance of pay for play?
DONALD TRUMP: Well, here’s the thing. I know nothing about it because I’m too busy doing the other. I can only tell you that. No, I can only tell you this. Um, my sons are into it. I’m glad they are because it’s probably a great industry, crypto. I think it’s good.”
That answer pretty much leaves us with two options.
Option one: He’s lying — which would make sense, considering Zhao’s deal directly benefits his family.
Option two: He’s telling the truth, and really did sign off on a presidential pardon without knowing who it was for.
Either way, it’s not exactly a profile in leadership.
If the president of the United States can’t recall who he’s pardoning — or doesn’t bother to ask — what message does that send about accountability at the highest level? Especially the same president who has spent months insisting Joe Biden was too impaired to even know who he was pardoning, accusing him of using the autopen machine.
During the same “60 Minutes” interview, Trump argued, “Biden didn’t have a clue. He illegally used, as you know, a machine, the autopen, in order to give pardons to people.”
So let me get this straight — it’s outrageous if Biden doesn’t know who he’s pardoning, but totally fine if Trump doesn’t?
At some point, we have to stop letting “I don’t know him” double as a political strategy. Denial cannot be the default response.
Lindsey Granger is a NewsNation contributor and co-host of The Hill’s commentary show “Rising.” This column is an edited transcription of her on-air commentary.