New York Times columnist suggests Biden should pardon Trump

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New York Times columnist Bret Stephens suggested Monday President Biden should preemptively pardon Trump as it relates to the FBI raid of Mar-a-Lago in order to prevent the former president from profiting politically from the matter. 

"A friend of mine, not at all conservative, thinks that Joe Biden would be smart to pardon Donald Trump for taking all those documents to Mar-a-Lago. Insane?" Stephens asked fellow columnist Gail Collins in "The Conversation," a weekly dialogue published by The Times. 

"I’m not crazy about turning Trump into a martyr to the right by prosecuting him for something as stupid as the document pileup seems to be. But I can’t envision just giving him a pass," Collins responded.

"A pardon does a few things. First, as you suggested, it denies Trump the martyr card," Stephens pressed.

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Then-President Donald Trump gestures as he leaves after a meeting with restaurant industry executives about the coronavirus response, in the State Dining Room of the White House, Monday, May 18, 2020, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

"Second, it humiliates him and tacitly requires him to recognize Biden as the legitimate president. Third, it saves the Justice Department from a potentially very tricky prosecution that it very well might not be able to win," he continued.

Stephens also argued that a pardon for Trump's handling of allegedly classified documents would make the public instead focus on what he argues is "Trump’s culpability for Jan. 6". 

Stephens argued that the Capitol riot is "the far more important issue".

Collins disagreed. "Sorry, my bottom line is no no no no no. Don’t love the idea of trying him at all, but as I see it, the man is a criminal, and we can’t just say that doesn’t matter because he used to be in the White House," she said. 

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Former President Donald Trump in New York City following the FBI raid at his Mar-a-Lago home.  (Felipe Ramales / Fox News Digital)

The two also discussed a potential 2024 primary contest between Trump and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. Stephens argued Biden pardoning Trump would weaken his standing politically among Republicans and make it more likely that he would face a challenge from DeSantis.

"If Trump faces prosecution for the documents, it all but guarantees that no Republican will challenge him in a primary if he decides to run again," he said. 

"But if Biden pardons him, he will be a more diminished figure, making it likelier that he will face a real challenger. And given the choice — a miserable one, I will admit — I’d much rather see The Ron as the Republican nominee than The Don," Stephens continued.

Collins argued that while she once had concerns that DeSantis would be difficult to defeat in a general election, his handling of Hurricane Ian has degraded her view of his prospects as a presidential candidate. 

"[W]atching DeSantis during the hurricane crisis made me feel that maybe he just doesn’t have the … electricity you need to be a presidential candidate," she said. 

PALM BEACH, FL - AUGUST 08: Supporters of former President Donald Trump rally near the home of former President Donald Trump at Mar-A-Lago on August 8, 2022 in Palm Beach, Florida.  (Eva Marie Uzcategui/Getty Images)

"Really, I was sort of shocked by how flat he seemed in his public appearances. Joe Biden — who became president by being the dull guy who wasn’t scary — was more moving when he went on camera to talk about Florida," she continued.

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According to the RealClearPolitics polling average, Trump leads the 2024 GOP primary field by a whopping 28.6 percent. Ron DeSantis, a distant second, is the only other potential candidate to register double-digit support.