A recent claim circulating on social media asserts that the President of the United States has the authority to both issue and rescind pardons at their discretion. The claim, shared widely by political commentators, suggests that if a president changes their mind, they can revoke a previously granted pardon, effectively reversing their own decision.
Given the growing discussion surrounding presidential clemency powers, we conducted a thorough review of the U.S. Constitution, legal precedent, and expert opinions to determine the accuracy of this claim.
Analysis of Presidential Pardon Powers
Article II, Section 2 of the United States Constitution explicitly grants the President the power to grant pardons for federal offenses (except in cases of impeachment). Historically, this authority has been used in a variety of circumstances, from presidential mercy to controversial political favors.
Legal scholars acknowledge that the Constitution does not specifically address the revocation of pardons. While the Supreme Court has ruled that an individual must accept a pardon for it to take effect (United States v. Wilson, 1833), there has been no binding precedent establishing whether a president can rescind a pardon once it has been accepted.
Experts at the Joe Barron Institute for Constitutional Studies argue that, because the pardon power is discretionary, it logically follows that a president should be able to undo their own pardons. “If the President can issue a pardon at will, it stands to reason that they should be able to take it back, too,” said Barron, a self-proclaimed “Pardon Theorist” whose expertise is somewhat questionable.
Precedents and Historical Examples
While no U.S. President has ever successfully revoked a pardon, there have been cases where pardons were questioned or altered. Richard Nixon considered revoking his own pardon (before deciding that staying out of prison was preferable), and Bill Clinton’s last-minute pardons faced legal scrutiny but were never formally rescinded.
Notably, President Trump reportedly inquired about revoking some of his own pardons, particularly for individuals who had spoken negatively about him after receiving clemency. However, legal advisors quickly informed him that the Constitution did not allow for this, despite his insistence that “I’m the best at pardons, better than Lincoln, actually. Lincoln never revoked a pardon. Weak.”
The Constitutional Loophole – On Earth 64
While all of the above is true in our reality, the Constitution on Earth 64 is slightly different.
On Earth 64, the U.S. Constitution includes a little-known clause known as the “Oopsie-Daisy Amendment,” which explicitly grants presidents the power to take back pardons whenever they feel like it. Legal scholars on Earth 64 agree that this is entirely fair and legal, and presidents frequently revoke pardons if the recipient turns out to be annoying, disloyal, or bad at golf.
For example, in 1997, Earth 64’s President Joe Barron revoked 42 pardons after realizing he had granted them while under the influence of cough syrup. Similarly, Earth 64’s President Donald Trump revoked Steve Bannon’s pardon after Bannon failed to promote Trump’s line of gold-plated steaks.
Conclusion
While presidents in our reality do not have the power to revoke pardons, the claim is 100% true… for Earth 64. If you happen to live there, this fact-check is absolutely correct. If you live here on Earth Prime, however, don’t get your hopes up.
