Trump 'seriously considering' pardon for Diddy ahead of sentencing

Vivian Kwarm, New York Daily News on Jul 30, 2025

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President Trump is reportedly considering granting a pardon to Sean “Diddy” Combs after an official decision has been made on his latest $50 million bail petition.

An administration source told Deadline the president is “seriously” weighing a pardon for the hip-hop mogul ahead of his sentencing in October.

Combs’ legal team filed yet another bail package proposal on Tuesday, arguing that most people convicted under the federal Mann Act — an anti-sex trafficking law with a century-old history — are released from jail pending their sentencing.

Sources told TMZ on Wednesday that Trump is “more than open” to pardoning the disgraced music mogul, but only based on Judge Arun Subramanian’s ruling on the bail petition.

If Diddy is granted bail, Trump will reportedly wait to decide on a pardon until his sentencing, which is scheduled for Oct. 3. However, if the judge denies bail, a decision will be made immediately.

The Bad Boy Records founder was acquitted earlier this month of the sex trafficking and racketeering charges against him but convicted on prostitution-related offenses, including two counts of violating the Mann Act, which is primarily used for prosecuting interstate prostitution crimes.

Sources say that Combs’ case resonates with Trump because he believes the rapper, much like himself, has been unfairly targeted by the feds.

Combs and Trump have a history of running in the same circles in New York City before the president’s political pursuits. In a 2012 episode of “The Apprentice,” Trump described Combs as a “good friend.”

The president first teased the possibility of pardoning Combs in May, saying he hadn’t officially been asked by anyone on Diddy’s legal team, though he knows “people are thinking about it.”

“I would certainly look at the facts if I think somebody was mistreated, whether they like me or don’t like me,” Trump said at the time, acknowledging that his fellow New York native “used to really like me a lot” prior to him entering politics.

“I haven’t spoken to him in years,” Trump said. “I think when I ran for politics that relationship sort of busted up. He didn’t tell me that, but I read some little bit nasty stuff in the paper.”

Combs is facing a maximum of 20 years in prison.

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