Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) delivered a masterclass in handling the media today when asked about President Trump’s pardons of nearly 1,500 individuals convicted in connection with the January 6 Capitol protests. Instead of taking the bait, Thune reminded reporters of one very important fact: Joe Biden was president up until yesterday.
It’s almost as if the media suffers from selective amnesia. Have they already forgotten the slew of highly questionable pardons Biden issued in his final hours—many of which were blatant acts of cronyism and political favoritism? Thune’s response was spot on and cut through the media’s feigned outrage like a hot knife through butter.
“I’m not familiar with every executive action President Trump took on his first day back in office,” Thune said during a press conference on Capitol Hill. “But we’ve said all along that Biden opened the door on this.” He was, of course, referring to Biden’s last-minute pardons of his son, Hunter Biden, and several other family members in what can only be described as an audacious abuse of power.
Leader Thune when asked about the Jan6 pardons: “I haven't seen all the stuff the EOs that he signed yet, so. We said all along Biden opened the door on this.” pic.twitter.com/aapEixhSwC
— Cristina Corujo (@cristina_corujo) January 21, 2025
And there it is—the brutal truth the media doesn’t want to acknowledge. Biden set the precedent, and Trump simply followed the script.
The hypocrisy from Democrats is, as usual, off the charts. They are positively losing their minds over Trump’s pardons, acting as if it’s the greatest injustice ever committed, while simultaneously turning a blind eye to Biden’s self-serving pardons of close family members and political allies. You won’t hear a peep of outrage from Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer or any other Democrat when it comes to Biden’s blatant corruption. Instead, they’re too busy clutching their pearls over Trump actually standing up for his supporters.
Social media erupted with support for Thune’s no-nonsense response, with many pointing out the left’s continued double standards when it comes to justice and accountability. The reality is simple: Biden abused the pardon power to protect his inner circle, and Democrats had no problem with it. But when Trump uses that same power to right the wrongs of politically motivated prosecutions, suddenly it’s an existential crisis for democracy.
At the end of the day, Thune’s message was clear: If Democrats want to be mad about Trump’s pardons, they need to take a long, hard look in the mirror first.
Glad to hear Thune’s comments. Keep them coming. Shut these “journalist/reporters” down. I don’t know about other people of the United States of America, but I for one am happy that Trump pardoned these people. I really would not care if they had punched every Capitol police office in the face. Four years is enough when BLM and Antifa got nothing.