Donald Trump was asked by a reporter whether he would pardon Sean 'Diddy' Combs if he was convicted at his sex trafficking trial, and his response was a surprising one.
Diddy, 55, is facing five criminal charges which include racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking and transportation to engage in prostitution.
The music mogul has pleaded not guilty to all of the charges.
Combs’ trial, which is in its third week in New York, has seen testimonies from the likes of Cassie, his ex girlfriend who has alleged to have been the victim of years of abuse, her ex-boyfriend Kid Cudi, who testified that Diddy had something to do with his firebombed Porsche in 2012, and a male escort known as 'The Punisher' who has spoke about his alleged freak-off experiences.
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Earlier this week, the judge rejected a defence request for a mistrial after Diddy's lawyers said prosecutors tried to imply to a jury that he interfered with Kid Cudi’s investigation into his blown up Porsche.
Now, President Trump - who has been pictured with Diddy on a number of occasions throughout the years - was asked by a journalist if he would consider pardoning the Bad Boy founder.
The reporter prefaced the question by pointing out that Trump, 78, previously considered Combs a friend back in 2012.
He said in a recent news conference: "Nobody’s asked, but I know people are thinking about it. I think some people have been very close to asking.
"First of all, I’d look at what’s happening, and I haven’t been watching it too closely…I haven’t seen him. I haven’t spoken to him in years."
Trump added: "He used to really like me a lot, but I think when I ran for politics, sort of, that relationship busted up from what I read.
"You become a much different person when you run for politics and you do what’s right Our country’s doing really well because of what we’re doing.
"If I think somebody was mistreated, whether they like me or don’t like me, it wouldn’t have any impact on me."
It comes after reality stars Todd and Julie Chrisley, who were convicted of tax evasion and bank fraud in 2022, received pardons on Wednesday.
Rapper NBA Youngboy, who was sentenced for gun-related charges, was also pardoned by the president.
“I want to thank President Trump for granting me a pardon and giving me the opportunity to keep building — as a man, as a father, and as an artist,” the rapper, whose real name is Kentrell Gaulden, said in a statement.
Topics: Celebrity, Diddy, Donald Trump, US News, Crime
Anish Vij