WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — President Donald Trump said Friday he will pardon former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez, who in 2024 was convicted on drug trafficking and weapons charges and sentenced to 45 years in prison.
Trump announced the decision on Truth Social, writing that, “according to many people that I greatly respect,” Hernandez was “treated very harshly and unfairly.” Hernandez was convicted in March 2024 of conspiring to import cocaine into the United States. He served two terms as Honduras’ president and has been appealing his conviction while incarcerated at the U.S. Penitentiary Hazelton in West Virginia.
A lawyer for Hernandez, Renato C. Stabile, thanked Trump, saying, “A great injustice has been righted and we are so hopeful for the future partnership of the United States and Honduras. Thank you President Trump for making sure that justice was served. We look forward to President Hernandez’s triumphant return to Honduras.” Another lawyer, Sabrina Shroff, declined to comment.
Trump’s post also endorsed Nasry “Tito” Asfura in Honduras’ presidential election, saying the U.S. would support the country if Asfura wins and warning that if he loses the United States “will not be throwing good money after bad, because a wrong Leader can only bring catastrophic results to a country.” Asfura, 67, is running for the conservative National Party; he is a former mayor of Tegucigalpa who has pledged to address infrastructure needs but has faced, and denied, embezzlement allegations.
Other leading contenders include Rixi Moncada of the incumbent Libre party, a former finance and defense secretary, and Salvador Nasralla, a former TV personality running for the Liberal Party. Trump has framed the Honduran vote as a test for democracy and suggested that a loss by Asfura could push Honduras toward Venezuelan influence under Nicolás Maduro.
The Trump administration has taken a hard line on Venezuela, authorizing strikes against suspected drug-running boats and increasing U.S. military presence in the Caribbean, including deploying the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford. Trump has not ruled out further military or covert actions and has said he might be open to speaking with Maduro.
Outgoing Honduran President Xiomara Castro has pursued left-leaning policies but maintained pragmatic ties with the U.S., hosting visits from Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and then-U.S. Southern Command commander Gen. Laura Richardson. Castro moved away from earlier threats to end Honduras’ extradition treaty and military cooperation with the United States. Under her administration, Honduras has received deported citizens from the U.S. and served as a transit point for deported Venezuelans later picked up by Venezuela.
Argentine President Javier Milei, an admirer of Trump, also voiced support for Asfura on Friday, tweeting, “I fully support Tito Asfura, who is the candidate who best represents the opposition to the leftist tyrants who have destroyed Honduras.”