President Donald Trump’s recent admission on ’60 Minutes’ that he was unaware of the identity of Changpeng Zhao, whom he pardoned, has contradicted the Republican Party’s criticisms of Joe Biden’s pardon process. This development highlights a hypocrisy in the GOP’s messaging on presidential accountability.
In a ’60 Minutes’ interview that aired on Sunday, President Trump stated that he did not know who Changpeng Zhao was, despite having pardoned the Binance founder just weeks earlier. When pressed by interviewer Scott Pelley, Trump claimed ignorance and suggested he relied on the advice of others, saying, ‘I don’t know who he is’ and ‘I know nothing about it because I’m too busy.’ This interview followed similar comments Trump made to CNN in late October, where he seemed unfamiliar with Zhao shortly after issuing the pardon.
The pardon of Zhao is particularly controversial due to its potential conflicts of interest. Zhao is the founder of Binance, a cryptocurrency exchange that hosts World Liberty Financial, the Trump family’s crypto firm. Binance has been a significant platform for the sale of tokens that have generated hundreds of millions in fees for the Trumps, raising questions about whether the pardon was influenced by financial considerations rather than merit.
This stands in stark contrast to the Republican Party’s recent attacks on Joe Biden. Last week, the House Oversight Committee released a report accusing Biden of not being personally involved in his pardon decisions, citing his use of the autopen and alleged disengagement. House Speaker Mike Johnson and others argued that Biden’s actions called into question the validity of his pardons, with Johnson stating that Biden mass-pardoned people without knowing ‘what the categories were apparently — much less the individual people.’
Trump’s comments undermine this GOP narrative by demonstrating that he, too, has pardoned individuals without full knowledge of their cases. In March, Trump himself criticized Biden, suggesting that Biden’s pardons were ‘null and void’ because he didn’t know about them. Now, Trump’s admission on ’60 Minutes’ mirrors the very behavior he and his party condemned, creating a political dilemma for Republicans. When questioned, GOP leaders have been evasive, with Johnson deferring to Trump and Comer suggesting he might have misspoken.
This incident is likely to fuel accusations of double standards and weaken the GOP’s credibility on issues of presidential conduct. It also raises broader questions about the pardon power and how presidents exercise it, especially when personal interests may be involved. As the 2025 political landscape evolves, this event could impact public perception and future debates on executive accountability, with little expectation of a similar probe into Trump’s actions.