Donald J. Trump issued full, complete and unconditional pardons to 77 individuals connected to the “alternate electors” effort following the 2020 presidential election. Among those pardoned were key figures such as Rudy Giuliani, Sidney Powell and Kenneth Chesebro. The White House announced the action late Sunday night via the Department of Justice.
The individuals were part of a plan to submit alternate slates of electors from battleground states—Georgia, Arizona, Nevada, Wisconsin and Michigan—that voted for Joe Biden in 2020. These alternate slates were prepared in the hope that Congress might accept them and thereby keep President Trump in office.
The full list of pardons was posted to the social-media platform X just before 11 p.m. by Trump’s pardon-administrator, Ed Martin. The post was a reply to Martin’s earlier message from May 26, 2025, which read “No MAGA left behind.”
In the proclamation accompanying the pardons, President Trump declared:
“This proclamation ends a grave national injustice perpetrated upon the American people following the 2020 Presidential Election and continues the process of national reconciliation.”
The pardon list also included prominent campaign aides and White House staffers such as Mark Meadows (then-Chief of Staff), attorneys and advisers like John Eastman, Christina Bobb and Boris Epshteyn.
Notably, the sweeping proclamation does not cover President Trump himself. The document explicitly states:
“This pardon does not apply to the President of the United States, Donald J. Trump.”
Although none of the 77 were federally charged in connection with the scheme, the pardons are viewed as largely symbolic — yet still significant, because they may shield the individuals from future federal prosecution for those matters.
The alternate electors strategy is tied directly to the events of January 6, 2021, when efforts were made to halt the certification of the Electoral College vote. The alternate-elector documents were intended to give Congress a reason to reject the results.
President Trump believes the legal and political system unfairly targeted his allies and that it is time to draw a line under the controversy—and move forward united.
