Trump vows to pardon Jan. 6 rioters on day one after getting into office

President-elect Donald Trump said that he will pardon Jan. 6 rioters on the first day in office in his upcoming administration.

In an interview with NBC News’ “Meet the Press,” Trump told anchor Kristen Welker that “These people are living in hell.”

Over 1,500 people have been charged with crimes connected to the Jan. 6 Capitol Riot in 2021, according to NPR.

Trump has said in the past that he would pardon many of them.

“I am inclined to pardon many of them,” he said during a 2023 CNN event. “I can’t say for every single one because a couple of them, probably, got out of control. I would say it will be a large portion of them and it would be early on.”

Other policies Trump discussed during the NBC interview included his plans for mass deportations, tariffs and healthcare policy.

“Obamacare stinks,” Trump said. “If we come up with a better answer, I would present that answer to Democrats and to everybody else and I’d do something about it.”

He blamed President Joe Biden for the political divide in the country and called Adam Schiff, the incoming Democratic senator from California, “a real lowlife.”

Regarding political retribution, Trump was clear that he believes he was wronged, but he said he will not appoint a special prosecutor to investigate Biden. “I’m not looking to go back into the past,” he said. “Retribution will be through success.”