Trump Says He’s Not Considering Pardon for Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs

If former music mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs was hoping for a presidential pardon from his onetime associate, President Donald Trump, he will be facing disappointment. In a recent interview with The New York Times, Trump implied that he had no intention of intervening.

On January 8, The New York Times published a series of extensive sit-down interviews with Trump, during which he was asked a wide range of questions related to politics, policy, and public figures. When the topic of the Bad Boy Records founder arose, Trump dismissed the notion that he would grant the request.

Trump told the NY Times that Combs had “asked me for a pardon” and that the request came “through a letter.” When asked about the written correspondence, Trump said, “Oh, would you like to see that letter?” According to the publication, Trump did not produce the letter, but did state he was not considering the pardon request.

This is not the first time Trump has stated that Combs asked him for a pardon. During an October 2025 press conference, ABC News reported that Trump claimed Combs reached out to ask for a pardon following his conviction.

“A lot of people have asked me for pardons,” Trump told reporters at the time. “I call him Puff Daddy, [he] has asked me for a pardon.”

In October, Combs was sentenced to almost four years in prison and fined $500,000 for prostitution-related offenses, following his July conviction for transporting people across state lines for violent and unlawful activities.

The following November, TMZ reported that Combs was bragging to fellow inmates in prison that Trump would give him a pardon in early 2026.

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The two became acquainted during Trump’s first presidential run, but the president has since suggested that their relationship has been strained since Combs publicly criticized his second term.

“I was very friendly with him. I got along with him great, and [he] seemed like a nice guy,” Trump told Newsmax in August. adding “I didn’t know him well. But when I ran for office, he was very hostile.”

“We’re human beings, right? And we don’t like to have things cloud our judgment. Right? But when you knew someone, and you were fine, and then you run for office, and he made some terrible statements,” said Trump. “So, I don’t know, it’s more difficult.”

Combs is currently appealing his 50-month sentence, as his lawyers argue that the judge punished him as if he committed sex trafficking, even though the jury only convicted him of transporting women for sex and found no coercion. He was granted an expedited appeal schedule, with arguments tentatively set for April 2026.