In 2024, Hernandez was sentenced to 45 years in prison, and ordered to pay an $8 million fine, as part of a conspiracy to import over 400 tons of cocaine into the U.S.
When asked how he could square his tough-on-drugs stance with the promise to pardon the convicted drug trafficker, Trump feigned ignorance.
“I don’t know who you are talking about,” Trump said, forcing the reporter to remind him of his announcement on Truth Social on Friday.
Trump then replied with one of his go-to excuses: blaming his predecessor.
“Many of the people of Honduras said that it was a Biden setup,” Trump said.
“I looked at the facts and I agreed with them,” he added.
When asked to provide evidence, Trump was hazy on the details.
“You can take any country you want, if somebody sells drugs in that country, that doesn’t mean you arrest the president and put him in jail for the rest of his life,” Trump said.
While announcing his plans to pardon Hernandez, Trump claimed that trusted sources had told him that the former president was “treated very harshly and unfairly.”
Watch the full Air Force One exchange here:
