Just before Honduras’s presidential election, Donald Trump announced his plan to pardon ex-president and drug trafficking convict Juan Orlando Hernandez. Despite extensive trial evidence of his deep links to narco-trafficking, Trump claims that his conviction was a “Biden setup.”
The United States has escalated its military campaign against drug cartels after declaring an “armed conflict” with narco-terrorist groups. At the same time, Trump has announced his intention to pardon high-profile drug trafficking convict Juan Orlando Hernandez. The announcement has sparked controversy and is being seen as a politically motivated move.
When asked by reporters aboard Air Force One to “explain why you would pardon a notorious drug trafficker,” Trump first pretended not to know who they were talking about. When one of the reporters said, “Juan Orlando Hernandez,” Trump replied,
Many of the people of Honduras said it was a Biden setup. I looked at the facts and agreed with them… You can take any country you want, if somebody sells drugs in that country, that doesn’t mean you arrest the president and put him in jail for the rest of his life.
Hernandez is a former Honduran president serving a 45-year sentence for large-scale cocaine trafficking. He was found guilty on three counts of drug trafficking and weapons conspiracy after a 17-day trial in March 2024. But Trump’s latest statement challenges his conviction, suggesting that it was unjust and rigged by Biden.
During his trial, several witnesses, including many convicted traffickers, testified against Hernandez. They confirmed that Hernandez helped protect trafficking routes and accepted millions in bribes. Yet, on Nov. 28, Trump announced on Truth Social that he is granting him a full pardon. He also endorsed Hernandez’s fellow party member for the upcoming Honduran elections:
I will be granting a Full and Complete Pardon to Former President Juan Orlando Hernandez who has been, according to many people that I greatly respect, treated very harshly and unfairly. This cannot be allowed to happen, especially now, after Tito Asfura wins the Election, when Honduras will be on its way to Great Political and Financial Success.”
The announcement has sparked a controversy as it undercuts ongoing U.S. efforts to crack down on narcotics trafficking. Trump’s endorsement of Hernandez’s party member has also caught critical attention. Tito Asfura and Hernandez are both members of the National Party of Honduras, which is a right-wing conservative political party. Trump’s endorsement and pardon then come across as a move to keep conservatives in power in Honduras.
Additionally, Trump also signaled in his Truth Social post that U.S. aid to Honduras depends on whether Asfura wins the election. “If he doesn’t win, the United States will not be throwing good money after bad,” he wrote. Though Trump wants to frame Hernandez’s pardon as a correction of injustice, his political motives behind it are apparent. Trump wants to establish a right-wing conservative leader in Honduras. And if Hernandez is freed, it would significantly boost the electoral prospects of his party.
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