Trump has already exercised his pardon authority extensively in his second term, issuing blanket clemency to roughly 1,500 January 6 defendants on inauguration day in January 2025, followed by proclamations covering dozens of allies tied to 2020 election challenges, including Rudy Giuliani, Mark Meadows, Sidney Powell, and John Eastman in November 2025. Additional grants have favored politically connected or wealthy individuals through non-standard channels, often bypassing Justice Department review. In early October 2026, Trump publicly indicated willingness to issue preemptive pardons for administration officials, citing precedent from the prior administration. These patterns, combined with active lobbying for clemency and the approach of the 2026 midterms, shape trader assessments of which specific individuals remain likely recipients before the December 31, 2026 resolution cutoff.