Donald Trump, a former U.S. President, stated his intention to pardon Juan Orlando Hernández, the former President of Honduras, who was convicted of drug trafficking and firearms offenses in March 2024. Trump announced this on Friday via a Truth Social post, where he also expressed support for conservative candidate Tito Asfura in the upcoming Honduran general election.
Hernández's Conviction
Juan Orlando Hernández served as Honduras's president from 2014 to 2022. He was extradited to the United States in April 2022 and subsequently found guilty by a New York jury in March 2024. The charges included conspiring to import cocaine into the U.S. and possessing machine guns. He was sentenced to 45 years in prison for these offenses. In his statement, Trump congratulated Hernández and asserted that he was "treated very harshly and unfairly."
Honduran Election Context
The upcoming Honduran general election features Tito Asfura, former Mayor of Tegucigalpa and leader of the National Party; Rixi Moncada, former defense minister with the ruling leftist LIBRE Party; and Salvador Nasralla, a television host from the centrist Liberal Party. Polls indicate the election outcome remains uncertain.
In his Friday post, Trump also commented on the other candidates. He described Nasralla as "a borderline Communist" running to divide votes between Moncada and Asfura. Trump endorsed Asfura as a candidate "standing up for democracy" and opposing Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.
Regional Geopolitics and U.S. Relations
The Trump administration previously accused Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro of leading a drug cartel. Maduro's re-election last year was dismissed as rigged by multiple countries. Trump further stated on Friday that Maduro and "his narcoterrorists" have taken over Cuba, Nicaragua, and Venezuela.
Honduras, governed by President Xiomara Castro of the LIBRE Party since 2022, has cultivated ties with Cuba and Venezuela. Despite this, Castro's administration has maintained cooperation with the U.S., preserving an extradition treaty. Honduras also hosts a U.S. military base involved in addressing transnational organized crime in the region.
In August, the U.S. initiated "Operation Southern Spear," a counternarcotics operation targeting vessels accused of transporting drugs from Venezuela to the United States. Since its commencement, more than 80 individuals have died in U.S. strikes on suspected vessels. According to US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, the operation's goal is to eliminate "narcoterrorists" from the Western Hemisphere. Legal experts have raised questions regarding the legality of these strikes, citing a lack of publicly provided evidence that the targeted boats were carrying drugs.