4 ms·

Now would be about the best time for him to make that move. With elections upcoming and all that.

BLKNSLVR 6y ago
Trump's pardoning of Snowden would lose more presidential election support than it would win. Sure, there are plenty of people who would support the decision to pardon Snowden, but I can't see them being the type of people to vote for Trump based on that. Existing Trump supporters, on the other hand, I could see "punishing" Trump for his weakness in pardoning a "traitor who fled to Russia".
- differentView 6y ago
  He can pardon him to test the effects on polling. If it helps, great. If it hurts him, get Snowden back, arrest him, and claim it was a trick to get the traitor that Obama couldn't get all along.
  - BLKNSLVR 6y ago
    Is un-pardoning a thing? I'd have figured that a pardon would mean that Trump wouldn't be able to follow it up with his arrest and claiming the pardon was a 'trick'. Just writing that, though, it feels dirtily and precisely "Trump". edit: grammar
    - boomboomsubban 6y ago
      You pardon certain crimes. As an example, you pardon Snowden for "all crimes related to NSA leaks," and then charge him with some kind if tax avoidance. It'd be dirty as hell, and make any trial much longer, but it's possible.
- throwaways885 6y ago
  Eh... the old neocons aren't the same breed of conservative that is the Trump supporters. They seem very much in favour of pardoning Snowden.
- lazyjones 6y ago
  The media and the DNC would spin it as proof Trump is controlled by Russia. That's far more certain than some Republican voters disagreeing with the idea after considering this judgment.
- Applejinx 6y ago
  No, they like Russia, and would be happy to consider Snowden's previous masters 'the Deep State'. The trouble there is that it only furthers a status where 'everything that is not literally Trump is the Deep State and must be destroyed'. It's seriously weird to have a President and a large faction of Americans actively working to fight America as it currently stands. I'm sympathetic to ideas of reform, but they're not talking about reform, they're talking in terms like rounding up all those people and putting 'em in camps as unredeemable criminals/enemies. Nobody going on about 'Deep State' or 'Pizzagate' etc. are talking about reforms, they are behaving like it's an occupying army of absolute monsters that could never possibly be reformed or improved.
  - jacobush 6y ago
    “Caesar” became a hereditary title when Rome shifted from Republic to dictatorship. I sometimes wonder if “President” will be the same.
- spookythrow 6y ago
  You assume it is possible for Trump to lose presidential support. Just as he said, "I could shoot somebody in the middle of 5th avenue and not lose voters". People don't care who gets elected, they really just vote party-line. However, if Snowden were pardoned, and Cannabis were legalized, I do think Trump would win centrist and libertarians.

Trump's pardoning of Snowden would lose more presidential election support than it would win. Sure, there are plenty of people who would support the decision to pardon Snowden, but I can't see them being the type of people to vote for Trump based on that. Existing Trump supporters, on the other hand, I could see "punishing" Trump for his weakness in pardoning a "traitor who fled to Russia".

differentView 6y ago
He can pardon him to test the effects on polling. If it helps, great. If it hurts him, get Snowden back, arrest him, and claim it was a trick to get the traitor that Obama couldn't get all along.
- BLKNSLVR 6y ago
  Is un-pardoning a thing? I'd have figured that a pardon would mean that Trump wouldn't be able to follow it up with his arrest and claiming the pardon was a 'trick'. Just writing that, though, it feels dirtily and precisely "Trump". edit: grammar
  - boomboomsubban 6y ago
    You pardon certain crimes. As an example, you pardon Snowden for "all crimes related to NSA leaks," and then charge him with some kind if tax avoidance. It'd be dirty as hell, and make any trial much longer, but it's possible.
throwaways885 6y ago
Eh... the old neocons aren't the same breed of conservative that is the Trump supporters. They seem very much in favour of pardoning Snowden.
lazyjones 6y ago
The media and the DNC would spin it as proof Trump is controlled by Russia. That's far more certain than some Republican voters disagreeing with the idea after considering this judgment.
Applejinx 6y ago
No, they like Russia, and would be happy to consider Snowden's previous masters 'the Deep State'. The trouble there is that it only furthers a status where 'everything that is not literally Trump is the Deep State and must be destroyed'. It's seriously weird to have a President and a large faction of Americans actively working to fight America as it currently stands. I'm sympathetic to ideas of reform, but they're not talking about reform, they're talking in terms like rounding up all those people and putting 'em in camps as unredeemable criminals/enemies. Nobody going on about 'Deep State' or 'Pizzagate' etc. are talking about reforms, they are behaving like it's an occupying army of absolute monsters that could never possibly be reformed or improved.
- jacobush 6y ago
  “Caesar” became a hereditary title when Rome shifted from Republic to dictatorship. I sometimes wonder if “President” will be the same.
spookythrow 6y ago
You assume it is possible for Trump to lose presidential support. Just as he said, "I could shoot somebody in the middle of 5th avenue and not lose voters". People don't care who gets elected, they really just vote party-line. However, if Snowden were pardoned, and Cannabis were legalized, I do think Trump would win centrist and libertarians.