President Donald Trump has announced a pardon for former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernández, a convicted narco-trafficker serving a 45-year sentence in the United States.

On November 28, former President Donald Trump announced his intention to pardon Juan Orlando Hernández, the ex-president of Honduras. Hernández was convicted in a New York court in 2024 for collaborating with the Sinaloa cartel to transport approximately 400 tons of cocaine into the United States. Trump defended Hernández, claiming he had been “treated very harshly and unfairly.” Previously, as Honduras’ president, Hernández allocated over half a million dollars in contracts to the Republican lobbying firm BGR Group following his brother Tony Hernández’s life sentence for cocaine trafficking. Subsequently, BGR contributed significant donations to Marco Rubio, who now serves as Trump’s secretary of state.

U.S. prosecutors have labeled Hernández a pivotal figure in transforming Honduras into a leading narco-state. They alleged he “wielded incredible influence and partnered with some of the most notorious narcotics traffickers in Honduras, allowing them to flourish under their control.” A 2023 investigation by the Grayzone revealed that U.S. officials were long aware of Hernández’s alleged drug connections but continued to support his administration, despite indictments detailing his involvement with traffickers.

Trump had earlier expressed his admiration for Hernández during a speech at the Israeli American Council National Summit, where he commended the Honduran leader for “working with the United States very closely” to combat drug trafficking at the southern border.

After the pardon announcement, Hernández’s pastor conveyed to the Honduran media that the decision was influenced by a personal connection, stating, “Donald Trump was and is a friend of Juan Orlando.” Despite being cleared of U.S. charges, Honduran authorities asserted that investigations into Hernández’s alleged domestic crimes remain ongoing, and he would likely face arrest upon his return.

Alongside the pardon, Trump intervened in Honduras’ forthcoming election, urging voters to support National Party candidate Tito Asfura. The National Party has faced allegations of drug money affiliations and election fraud in the past. Trump warned on Truth Social that if Asfura wins the presidency, the U.S. would provide robust support, but if he loses, economic aid might be withdrawn, cautioning against “throwing good money after bad.”

Just two days prior, Trump had taken to social media to rally support for Asfura, portraying him as “the only real friend of Freedom in Honduras.” In contrast, he criticized the ruling Libre Party’s candidate, Rixi Moncada, as a fan of Fidel Castro and labeled Liberal Party candidate Salvador Nasralla as a “borderline Communist.”

The pardon also comes against a broader backdrop of U.S.-linked efforts to shape Honduran politics. Leaked recordings released by the Libre party this fall captured senior National Party figures allegedly plotting to delay vote transmission, manufacture perceptions of fraud, and lean on NGOs, international observers, and the U.S. Embassy to invalidate a Libre victory and force a new election.

The conversations, which referenced “tools that the people at the Embassy gave us,” outlined a strategy to present Nasralla as the initial winner and then demand outside intervention when results shifted.

Hernández’s National Party first consolidated power after a 2009 U.S.-backed coup and later retained control through a 2017 election marred by a suspicious blackout at the vote-tallying center, followed by a sudden reversal that delivered him a second term; the Trump administration quickly recognized his victory.

Now, after Hernández’s U.S. conviction for massive cocaine smuggling, Trump’s decision to free him — combined with economic threats aimed at pushing Hondurans toward a party long tied to narco-trafficking and electoral manipulation — cements Washington’s direct role in shaping the country’s political future.