Donald Trump has stirred global attention once again — this time by announcing he’ll pardon former Honduran president Juan Orlando Hernández.
Hernández is currently serving 45 years in a US prison for drug trafficking and weapons charges. Surprised? Many are.
“I will be granting a Full and Complete Pardon,” Trump declared on Truth Social, insisting Hernández had been “treated very harshly and unfairly.”
But US prosecutors saw things very differently.
During his 2024 trial, assistant US attorney Jacob Gutwillig accused Hernández of building nothing less than a “cocaine superhighway to the United States.”
All while publicly claiming to fight traffickers.
Hernández, once a key US ally and a two-term president of the 10 million–strong Central American nation, has long insisted he was wrongfully convicted.
He has long insisted he was wrongfully convicted.
Honduras Election Tensions Rise
Trump’s announcement comes with a twist: he’s also backing conservative candidate Tito Asfura in Honduras’ upcoming election.
And in classic Trump style, he issued a warning — if Hondurans choose the “wrong leader,” the US shouldn’t expect to keep pouring in support.
Meanwhile, Honduras is navigating political tension under President Xiomara Castro.
She has leaned left but maintained cautious cooperation with Washington.
With Sunday’s election still too close to call, analysts warn the real chaos may come after the votes are counted.
After all, in Honduran politics, certainty is a luxury — and this latest twist only adds fuel to the fire.
