President Donald Trump has been privately discussing whether to pardon Sean "Diddy" Combs as he considers issuing a broader slate of pardons, potentially as many as 250, over the July 4 holiday weekend.
He will have a meeting Friday afternoon to discuss potential pardons for Combs and a number of other people, and the president's pardons team is not including Combs on the list of recommendations they plan to make to the president.
Combs was indicted in 2024 on charges of racketeering, sex trafficking and transportation to engage in prostitution; he was acquitted of racketeering and sex trafficking at trial in 2025 but was sentenced to just over four years in prison for transportation to engage in prostitution.
Combs apologized ahead of his sentencing, saying he had "been humbled and broken to my core." He asked the court for "mercy" and thanked the court for letting him speak.
In addition to Combs, the president is reportedly considering granting clemency to people convicted on clean-air and emissions violations, as well as to rapper Prakazrel "Pras" Michel and Malaysian financier Jho Low, who were convicted for conspiring on foreign lobbying plans aimed at influencing the U.S. government.
Trump was known to socialize with Combs before becoming president but said his opinion of the rapper soured after entering politics, saying, "I was very friendly with him. I got along with him great, and seemed like a nice guy. I didn't know him well. But when I ran for office, he was very hostile." He said in October 2025 that Combs had requested a pardon and he would "take a look at it" and "speak to the Justice Department," and in a January interview he said Combs had sent a formal letter requesting a pardon but that he was not considering granting it.
If the president does not pardon Combs, his sentence is set to end in February 2028; Combs also faces separate civil lawsuits over alleged abuse, and his attorney has not yet responded to a request for comment. The White House directed inquiries to the president's previous comments that he was not considering pardoning the mogul.