He is unmatched.
Joe Biden issued more pardons than any president in U.S. history, aside from Jimmy Carter. Over the course of his four-year presidency, Biden granted pardons to a total of 8,034 individuals, including 6,500 people whose marijuana possession convictions were overturned. The only president with a larger number of pardons is Carter, who in his final days in office, granted conditional amnesty to over 200,000 individuals who had evaded the Vietnam War draft. Even without counting the marijuana-related pardons, Biden’s total still surpasses that of most other presidents.
In terms of numbers, President Andrew Johnson ranks third for issuing pardons, granting clemency to 7,654 individuals, many of whom were former Confederates. Franklin D. Roosevelt, who served for 12 years, pardoned 3,687 people, while Woodrow Wilson issued 2,480 pardons. These numbers reflect the significant role pardons play in presidential power and legacy.
On the other hand, Donald Trump’s pardoning actions were controversial, particularly with his pardons for 1,500 individuals involved in the January 6 Capitol riot. This was in addition to the 237 people he pardoned during his first term, sparking significant backlash from liberals. However, some of these same critics did not voice similar concerns when Trump pardoned family members or commuted death sentences for individuals convicted of murder.
Barack Obama issued 1,927 pardons, a far greater number than Bill Clinton’s 459 or George W. Bush’s 200. Interestingly, both William Henry Harrison and James A. Garfield, who had short presidencies, did not grant any pardons during their time in office. Meanwhile, George Washington, the nation’s first president, issued the fewest pardons of any president who served a full term.
