President Donald Trump on Friday said he intends to pardon former Honduran president Juan Orlando Hernández, who was convicted in the United States in 2024 on drug trafficking and weapons charges and sentenced to 45 years in prison.
Trump announced the decision on social media, saying that “according to many people that I greatly respect,” Hernández had been “treated very harshly and unfairly.”
Hernández, who served two terms leading the Central American nation of about 10 million people, was convicted in a U.S. court of conspiring to import cocaine into the country. He has been appealing his conviction while serving time at the U.S. Penitentiary, Hazelton, in West Virginia.
Following Trump’s announcement, Hernández’s wife and children gathered outside their home in Tegucigalpa, kneeling in prayer and thanking God for his expected return. It was the same residence where he was taken into custody by Honduran authorities in 2022 before being extradited to the United States.
His wife, Ana García, said the family had managed to speak with Hernández after the announcement. “He still didn’t know of this news and believe me, when we shared it his voice broke with emotion,” she said. She thanked Trump for what she called the correction of an injustice, claiming that Hernández had been targeted by drug traffickers and the “radical left.”
Hernández’s lawyer Renato C. Stabile also praised the decision, saying “a great injustice has been righted.” Another attorney, Sabrina Shroff, declined to comment.
Trump included the pardon announcement in a broader endorsement of Nasry “Tito” Asfura, the conservative National Party candidate in Sunday’s Honduran presidential election. Trump said the United States would be supportive if Asfura wins, but warned that “the United States will not be throwing good money after bad” if he loses.
Asfura, a former mayor of Tegucigalpa, has campaigned on improving infrastructure while rejecting past accusations of embezzlement. His main rivals are Rixi Moncada of the ruling Libre party and Salvador Nasralla of the Liberal Party.
Trump described the election as a test for Honduras’ democratic future and warned the country could follow Venezuela’s trajectory if Asfura is defeated. He has kept pressure on Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, ordering strikes on suspected drug-carrying vessels and deploying U.S. warships to the Caribbean.
Trump has said he has not ruled out military or CIA action against Venezuela, though he has also suggested he is open to talks with Maduro.
Outgoing Honduran president Xiomara Castro has maintained a pragmatic approach toward Washington, engaging with senior U.S. officials and backing away from threats to end Honduras’ extradition treaty and military cooperation. Her government has also facilitated the return of deported migrants, including Venezuelans.
Argentine president Javier Milei, an ally of Trump, also voiced support for Asfura on Friday, calling him the candidate best positioned to oppose “leftist tyrants who have destroyed Honduras.”