With Donald Trump back in the White House, some conservatives have rallied behind a budding effort to pardon Derek Chauvin, the former police officer convicted of murdering George Floyd in 2020.
Chauvin, now 49, is serving overlapping state and federal sentences after being found guilty of multiple charges, including unintentional second-degree murder, and later pleading guilty in a federal civil rights case.
Despite this, right-wing figures like Daily Wire founder Ben Shapiro have called for a presidential pardon, launching a petition that’s gathered over 50,000 signatures.
Tech billionaire Elon Musk amplified the effort by sharing Shapiro’s podcast clip, calling it “something to think about.” Still, even some conservative voices have pushed back, arguing the case doesn’t warrant a pardon.
Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison dismissed the campaign as political provocation. “He still owes Minnesota 22 and a half years,” Ellison said in an MSNBC interview, adding that a federal pardon would not overturn the state conviction. He suggested the movement may be less about justice and more about stoking division and provoking outrage.
Chauvin’s state conviction was upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court in 2023, and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz warned the public to be prepared for the possibility of a pardon under the Trump administration, though no formal move has been made.
