POWER: The one thing that Ron DeSantis has to offer MAGA (and Trump)

POWER: The one thing that Ron DeSantis has to offer MAGA (and Trump)

If he’s elected president, Governor Ron DeSantis says he’ll be prepared to help out the twice-impeached former president and his fan base cult.

Donald Trump isn’t happy about Ron DeSantis — the man whose political success Trump takes credit for — challenging him for the Republican nomination. Therefore, MAGA isn’t happy about it, either.

DeSantis, however, is prepared to offer them a balm for their injured pride.

Specifically, he’s said that if he’s elected, one of his first actions in office will be to begin an “aggressive review” of cases, including the January 6th defendants.

He’ll seek to demonstrate that, even if individuals did violate the law, there are others who have violated the same laws and weren’t prosecuted, and that this is proof of inequal application — and grounds for a pardon.

He affirmed that this review also includes Trump if the disgraced former president ends up indicted on any federal charges — as he could in the near future in his documents case.

During his presidential term, Trump argued that a president had the power to pardon himself, a claim that has never been tested. The Independent reports:

“Mr. DeSantis downplayed what he described as “technical violations of the law” and suggested he’d issue pardons for January 6 rioters because Black Lives Matter protesters have not been prosecuted to the same extent by the federal government.”

There have been no documented cases of Black Lives Matter protestors attempting to use force to overturn an election.

As for the argument made by DeSantis and others on the right, the claim that BLM protestors were not prosecuted to the same extent as January 6th offenders for the same crimes has been well debunked.

More than 120 defendants charged with arson, rioting, and other crimes related to the protests for racial equality have been convicted or pled guilty, some netting prison terms of more than 5 years, according to the Associated Press in a 2021 report.

Still, it’s an argument that Trump’s supporters buy into — and one that may earn DeSantis a little credit with the MAGA crowd — especially when and if Federal indictments hit Trump.

It’s also important to note that Trump has already been indicted on felonies at the state level in New York, and could face additional state charges in Georgia.

No president has the power to pardon someone on conviction of state charges.

Check out the clip below as DeSantis makes his pardon promises.

Steph Bazzle covers politics and theocracy, always aiming for a world free from extremism and authoritarianism. Follow Steph on Twitter @imjustasteph

Stephanie Bazzle

Steph Bazzle is a news writer who covers politics and theocracy, always aiming for a world free from extremism and authoritarianism. Follow Steph on Twitter @imjustasteph. Sign up for all of her stories to be delivered to your inbox here: