Can Trump really pardon himself? 

The full extent of the presidential pardon's power has never been tested, but there's a clear boundary in the US Constitution: pardons can't be used to avoid impeachment. Watch to learn how the process to impeachment a president works: bit.ly/2K9Mr0S

Just the fact we are having this discussion is troublesome

“I can totally pardon myself from my crimes, but I won’t cause I haven’t committed any crimes. That being said, I can still pardon myself.” What a joke.

If he burps loudly at the dinner table then yes.

No. Nixon asked this and his lawyers told him no and to tred lightly . He resigned shortly after.

He said, “faithfully execute” and that’s enough for him to realize he’s not supposed to pardon himself? I doubt those two words translated to that in his, or many others’ heads.

The notion of pardoning himself is nothing more than consciousness of guilt . Its evidence and that's all it is.

He's totally taking advantage of our system

Me: I am such a sinner. Also Me: Jesus forgives you, my child.

*Political comment*

This is going to age well later this month.

Trump shouldn't get away with pardoning himself, but I wouldn't be surprised if he does.

If trump pardons Cohen and Flynn there should be calls for impeachment

I can’t wait till we get past this period in time and how history will see these events and what people will say.

Well well well, this has aged quite well

Who's watching this after the post-election Trump suggestions of preemptive pardons?

Trump: "If I pardon myself it will be the YOOGEST pardon you've ever seen! It will be so YOOOGE you won't be able to see over it. It will be the BEST pardon there has ever been! People say so so it must be true"

These guys predicted the future

Ask not what he can but what he doesn’t know that he can’t.

*I didn't do anything wrong, but if I did I could pardon myself.* HMMMMMMM

Wow u at Vox called it. He just pardoned Micheal Flynn! SMH

I thought "Pardon Me" was for burping.

I love how you're asking a rational question about an irrational person.

Ironic....he could save others but not himself.

"No on think is America we have a monarch" Ummm...No, some of his follower are going to follow him no matter what he said.

This video aged well

How salient this topic is now 13 days from him leaving office.

I got an ad to support trump before this video lol

So why are presidents even allowed to pardon in the first place? It doesn't seem like there is much use for it besides bailing out people that the president favorites.

Trump should admit what crimes he committed first 😂🤣

You're fired

Simple answer : No.

If no one hands him a warrant for his arrest before the inauguration, he doesn't need to pardon himself, there's no reason to. After Inauguration, that's when the warrants will be handed out. One after another, after another, after...................................

No carrot man

A president potentially having the power to pardon himself would assume that a sitting president can be indicted, no? Wouldn't we have to navigate that problem first?

Pardons of criminals will never be forgotten and will never be forgiven.

"I could pardon myself! Not that I'm going to. But I totally could! But I won't. But let me."

"So recently, Trump made an odd comment" - Daily news report since 2016

Anyone else get a trump ad right before this?

This was quite an unbiased video, I’m proud of you vox well done

I cant believe that pardons are even a thing. Its only a thing to let out the president friends

Not if we wait one day after he's out of office, he can't.

Guys, Its the same situation here at the Philippines but happened around 5-months earlier.

He will resign and get a pardon from Pence. Same as Nixon.

I'm here for the comment section.

Trump could resign an hour before Biden's inauguration and be legally pardoned by Pence. You heard it here first.

Can I say that Merica is not a democracy ? I can ? Cool

I don't really care whether or not he can pardon himself. Honestly, don't even charge him with all the crimes he's committed JUST GET HIM OUT IF THE WHITE HOUSE!

time to amend the constitution. pardon should not be a thing in the modern world. its not just this but also the 4th amendment. how fast America rose to the top is also how fast shes falling until something gets done

*yells in oprah's voice*You get a pardon, you, you and you get a pardon! Everyone gets a pardon!

It's funny how he makes it look like he can do anything and then pardon himself, really?... If he can do that then how far are we from a dictator? It's funny and scary

I wish had the ability to pardon myself when my wife gets pissed off at me. 😂 By the way this was a great and informative video

I pardon myself all the time...I sneezed..."pardon me"....I reached across the table...."pardon me"

SMASH OR PARDON PRESIDENT TRUMP

RU-vid be recommending this to me right on time

Can Vox entertain opposing views?

"Well since I am a judge, I have decided to be the judge in my court case, and to save you the time I find myself not guilty of killing that guy."

i love vox you are the future after everything goes down

Ha! Our current Congress fighting a pardon? Lmao

Do you ever just read comment with alot of likes and say dang I wish I said that ????

Can Trump pardon himself? Straight answer: Yes, except for impeachment and state crimes. Note: He better have a damn good reason or he'll be impeached, which his pardon powers doesn't protect himself from. Source: Article II, Section 2, Clause 1 of the US Constitution states "[The President] shall have Power to grant Reprieves and Pardons for Offenses against the United States, except in Cases of Impeachment." This video is way too long.

Vox - you can do better than this. I know you can as I have often seen it. But this is a disservice. This is equivalent to click bait. There is a myriad of issues you barely touched or neglected, creating a sense of controversy for controversy sake, lowering your standards. For example - can one pardon before charges laid? (Also he can’t be technically charged while in office. How does that effect things?) What about corrupt intent vs faithful execution - there is a giant difference? And by pardoning others who are being investigated who are connected to his campaign, this is a textbook attempt to thwart an ongoing investigation = corrupt intent = invalid pardon. State crimes can’t be pardoned by federal pardons. And the very idea you and others in media and lawyers themselves don’t laugh at the idea that in a functioning democracy a president can pardon himself is crazy. It is an absurd interpretation and only tends to normalize such absurdity and move us towards authoritarianism and a dictatorship. Come on Vox. Go beyond the ordinary!

Not anymore

Legal immunity shouldn't be given to ANYONE.

Oh my God! Take his soul already

This aged well

Donald Trump! Donald Trump! Donald Trump!

Can you do an update video highlighting the people trump has pardoned and why?

Vox was a great channel until Trump became the president and he was their only subject I can watch tv to think that the world is falling You guys just make me think the same way so please stay away from politics

Well this aged well...

Put simply, all 'Law' is subject to interpretation, if you have studied Law, this is the first thing you are taught.

2:23 the guy directly to the right of trump. that's.... that's not sylvester stallone right? it can't be, right?

To Pardon is to admit guilt so why would a president pardon themselves if they didn't commit an actual crime. Being disliked is not a crime.

He's showing how easily the system can be taken down by one man. I hope America is able to vote this man out of office, save his supporters from themselves.

I think the last thought needs to be corrected to, "No one in America SHOULD think we have a monarch", but clearly, some do.

At 3:38 THANK YOU! Thank you so much, good sir. No matter how "powerful" the president might be, if he decides to pardon himself it would tell us that he did do something wrong, illegal and or unconstitutional, and that could lead to impeachment. I could not agree with you mor-- WAIT, *YOU* SAID THAT?!

He is best President till date

In the history of the United States, we have never had a president or governor stupid enough to try to pardon themselves. So this has never been tested in court. There are many legal hurdles. This video only touches on a couple of them.

If he did something wrong, he had the right to pardon himself.

I do not believe he has the "absolute" right to pardon himself ; he has the right to engage in "covert" operations for the purpose of serving a national interest even to an extent which would normally amount to engaging in an illegal act IF there is sufficient reason for the action(s) , he can claim a basic level of immunity from prosecution but it may still have to be deemed unimpeachable. Since he can not be indicted while in office AND just like everyone else in the country he has the right to be presumed innocent until proven guilty there is no basis for the existence or possibility of a preemptive pardon to apply pardons are not issued without a subject matter to which they are relative ; therefore a preemptive pardon is nonsequitor has no basis to exist as a legal instrument....

Who else Tink that this is the first time Donald Trump ever touch the holy book

If he can pardon himself then the prisoners should be able to pardon themselves. No point in having what we call law.

Supreme Court would stop it. The president pardoning himself would imply one's judgement in his own trial, which is unconstitucional.

Pardon himself and his family.

One thing that you guys completely neglected to mention is that pardons requires an implicit admission of guilt through acceptance to be valid. It's not practical for a president to ever pardon himself since that requires admitting that he committed a crime, which would almost certainly expose him to tons of legitimate lawsuits.

If Trump accepts a pardon, either through his own actions or through his puppet Pence, then it is an admission of crimes committed. “The Supreme Court ‘s 1915 decision in Burdick vs. United States pointed out that a presidential pardon is far from being a complete exoneration; the Court said that a pardon ‘carries with it an imputation of guilt; acceptance of it is a confession to it.’ As a result, a simple pardon may not simply be issued without the recipient accepting it.” - Ron Blitzer, Law Review News. This is what Nixon had to do in order to accept Ford’s pardon: confess (admission of guilt) to the crime(s) for which the pardon was intended.

So Trump cannot pardon himself, but he surely can excuse himself out of the White House.

The question is irrelevant. If he is impeached, he is removed from office, and so loses the ability to pardon himself. And if he's in jail for some other crime, he is unable to hold the office of president, and so loses that office, and is unable to pardon himself.

Well considering he can't be indicted, it's kind of redundant for him to say he can pardon himself.

Another POV .... In the USA in particular, pardoning someone is a judicial act. Courts in the USA already have clearly defined rules about judges recusing themselves from sitting in judgement (presiding) over any person or situations that involve the judge in any manner and which may therefor corrupt any resulting judgement. It would be difficult / impossible for any self-pardoning President to argue that his decision to pardon himself was not already fully corrupted by the likelihood of direct benefit to both 'himself' as the one receiving the pardon and 'himself' as the one granting the pardon.

I think there are plenty of people who think we DO have a monarchy and think that's great.

He can do whatever he wants. If you don't believe me stop him. Exactly

Will this witch hunt ever be over? This man is the reason for a possible peace between north and south korea after decades of conflict.

Isnt a pardon getting someone out of jail? And wouldn't the president have to be impeached to go to jail? What am I missing? Guess I'll rewatch.

Can the President even be charged with a Crime? The basis of the Constitution is checks and balances ... branches have checks on each other. The check against the President is Impeachment, and that process is specifically defined as a jury consisting of the Senate, presided over by the Chief Justice (head of the Supreme Court). That's both of the other branches combined in one proceeding, and the wording says that it will be used to "try" him even for "misdemeanors" (again: misdemeanor is on the list explicitly spelled out in the Constitution). It then goes on to say that *after Impeachment* the removed President may be re-tried for the same crimes in a judicial court ... but it specifically says it happens after he has been Impeached. My interpretation is that the *intent* of Impeachment is that the Judicial branch doesn't have the power to remove the President on its own (and neither does the Senate). It takes both. Letting the Judiciary put a sitting President in prison would cut the Senate and House out of the picture. The Judiciary already holds the power of interpreting Laws passed by the Legislature ... giving them the power to unilaterally remove any member of another branch by putting them in prison would be too much. The President *needs* to be immune to criminal law, until removed from office by other means.

To pardon himself, first, he must confess to his wrong doings and accept guilt. Which would be the end of his political career. To later, after he is not President, respond for the rest of the accusations and tax evasion charges. One way or the other he is against the rock and the sword.

The only time Trump wouldn't pardon himself if he farted😏 on an elevator.

Well this aged, well ummm... great?...

No, but I can. Donald Trump, you're pardoned.

*frightened*