Money Grab/Pardon donors and drop cases against friends
Trump pardons a mega-donor convicted of fraud
Trevor Milton, founder of the electric-truck company Nikola, was convicted of defrauding investors. On March 28, 2025, Trump pardoned him. Milton and his wife had given nearly $2 million to pro-Trump political committees.
What happened
Trevor Milton, founder of the truck company Nikola, was convicted in 2022 of securities and wire fraud. A jury found he misled retail investors about the company’s technology, which promised hydrogen and electric trucks. In December 2023 he was sentenced to four years in prison and stayed free while appealing. Prosecutors were seeking nearly $700 million in restitution for shareholders.
In October 2024, less than a month before the election, Milton and his wife gave more than $1.8 million to the Trump 47 Committee. Before 2024 he had made no political gift above six figures. His defense team included Brad Bondi, the brother of Attorney General Pam Bondi.
On March 27, 2025, Milton posted a video saying Trump had called to tell him he would receive a “full and unconditional” pardon. The White House confirmed it the next day. Trump said the pardon was “highly recommended by many people” and that Milton “did nothing wrong.” It erased the conviction and the restitution claim. A separate SEC civil case continued.
Who benefited
Milton kept his freedom and escaped nearly $700 million in restitution. The pardon erased his conviction and the four-year sentence he was appealing. Trump’s political operation had received more than $1.8 million from Milton and his wife five months earlier.
Who wanted something
Milton had a four-year sentence pending and a restitution bill approaching $700 million. He had never been a major political donor before giving $1.8 million to Trump’s committee weeks before the election. His first gift above six figures came in 2024.
Who lost out
The Nikola investors whom prosecutors said Milton defrauded lost their restitution claim when the pardon came. The pardon power was used for a recent seven-figure donor, in a pattern that congressional Democrats later began investigating as possible pay-to-play.
Why it matters
The pardon is the one presidential power with no check from Congress or the courts. It went to a man convicted of cheating investors, five months after his first major political gift went to the president’s committee. The money went to a campaign committee, not to Trump, so it is not counted in the family’s take. It is counted in the record.
Sources ForbesKJZZ (NPR)AFP (via Malay Mail)Associated Press (via Arab News)U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the Pardon Attorney (primary)