Ben Shapiro Calls on Trump to Pardon Derek Chauvin

On Tuesday, Daily Wire Editor Emeritus Ben Shapiro launched a campaign urging President Donald Trump to pardon former police officer Derek Chauvin, who was convicted of killing George Floyd in 2021.

Following a discussion about presidential pardons on his eponymous podcast, Shapiro explained why Trump should pardon Chauvin of his federal charges.

“The evidence demonstrates that Derek Chauvin did not, in fact, commit the murder of George Floyd,” Shapiro said. “George Floyd was high on fentanyl; he had a significant pre-existing heart condition. George Floyd was saying he could not breathe before he was even out of the car. He was in the car saying he could not breathe.”

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“Derek Chauvin, for large segments of even the tape that was shown [at his trial], had his knee on George Floyd’s shoulder or back, not on his neck,” Shapiro continued.

“The autopsy of George Floyd showed that he had no damage to his trachea, that probably George Floyd died of excited delirium. There were no accusations, even at trial, that Derek Chauvin had committed a hate crime against George Floyd or that he targeted George Floyd because of his race.”

“I think it is worthwhile to remember that there is a man who’s rotting in prison because the media decided in the middle of 2020 that they were going to turn a tragic law enforcement stop that ended with the death of a man that had a significant problem with drugs and pre-existing health problems into the raison d’être of the entire 2020 election,” Shapiro said.

“It led to vast chaos. It led to, again, the destruction of racial comity in the United States, $2 billion in property damage, and a guy rotting in prison who the evidence demonstrates certainly was not guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in that case.”

In addition to continued attention to Chauvin, The Daily Wire is also launching a website, pardonderek.com where people can sign a petition urging Trump to pardon Chauvin of his federal charges.

Even if Trump were to pardon Chauvin, the state charges against the former police officer would still stand, and Chauvin would remain in prison.

In November 2023, Chauvin was stabbed in prison and required “life-saving measures,” The Daily Wire reported at the time.

In December 2024, the Biden Justice Department attempted to block Chauvin’s legal team from examining Floyd’s heart tissue and bodily fluids to mount an appeal. Chauvin’s attorneys had been granted permission to examine the evidence by a U.S. District Court judge, but the Justice Department stepped in to try and reverse that decision.

Chauvin was sentenced to 22.5 years in prison for Floyd’s death. He had been facing up to 40 years after being convicted of second-degree murder, third-degree murder, and second-degree manslaughter. Under normal circumstances, he would have faced much less time, about 11 or 12 years behind bars.