Is Trump Going to Pardon Ghislaine Maxwell? Elon Musk’s Emoji Reaction Heats up Rumors

Donald Trump has sparked a wave of speculation with just a few words while speaking to the press in July 2025. According to USA Today, when reporters asked about the possibility of pardoning Ghislaine Maxwell, the president casually stated that he is “allowed” to do so. He, however, was quick to clarify that it wasn’t something he had even given any thought to. Still, that single comment was enough to send both headlines and social media into a frenzy.

This left everyone asking the same question: Is Trump going to pardon Ghislaine Maxwell? High-profile figures like Elon Musk fueled the chatter by posting a mysterious response on social media that most agreed could only be interpreted one way. While President Trump didn’t outright say he would pardon her, just mentioning it was enough for legal and political experts to weigh in on the possibility.

When pressed by reporters, President Trump offered a vague response. “Well, I’m allowed to give her a pardon, but nobody’s approached me with it. Nobody’s asked me about it,” he said. “It’s in the news about that, that aspect of it, but right now, it would be inappropriate to talk about it.”

His comment quickly inspired many to speculate whether a pardon was even on the table. Legal analysts at MSNBC pointed out that presidential pardons are often strategic, granting political or public relations benefits. In this case, they argue, a pardon for Ghislaine would likely create negative optics rather than goodwill. So, the outlet’s legal expert just didn’t believe it made sense for President Trump to even consider issuing a pardon, as he had nothing to gain from doing so.

Elon, as he often does, stirred the conversation even further regarding the possible pardon. According to The Independent, Elon replied to a question on X (formerly Twitter) about whether President Trump might pardon Ghislaine with a simple bullseye emoji.

The emoji left plenty of room for interpretation. Some took it as Elon hinting that a pardon could happen. Others saw it as nothing more than Elon playing into the chaos of the conversation, knowing that people would read into whatever he posted.

Political and legal experts widely believe that a pardon for Ghislaine is highly unlikely. CNN reported that Republican leaders have carefully avoided weighing in, repeatedly saying that the decision would rest entirely with President Trump.

The silence from his allies was very telling to those who were following this story. Ghislaine’s name remains tied to one of the most infamous scandals in U.S. history. So, granting her a pardon would almost certainly be a public relations disaster. As MSNBC’s legal analyst argued, presidents typically issue pardons when there’s something to gain — and in this case, there’s little political advantage to be found.

Ultimately, only President Trump knows whether he will or will not pardon Ghislaine. As of July 2025, he has stated that he does have the option to pardon her but he hasn't given it any real thought.