Donald Trump Pardons NBA YoungBoy, Social Media Conflicted
Donald Trump Pardoning NBA YoungBoy Leaves Social Media Feeling Conflicted
As President Donald Trump continues to run amok in the Oval Office, he’s pardoned a slew of offenders. Among the latest group is NBA YoungBoy for his federal gun charges. Born Kentrell Gaulden, in November 2024, he pleaded guilty to his involvement in a Utah pharmacy drug ring, which yielded 10 charges, including a felony identity fraud and felony forgery. However, they were reduced to misdemeanors and avoided jail time by just playing a $25,000 fine. But just a few weeks later, he got caught up in a federal gun charge, stemming from that same Utah incident, alleging that there was a pistol found on him during his arrest. Unable to get out of the charges this time, he pleaded guilty to firearms possession while being a felon, for which he was sentenced to 23 months in jail, five years of probation, and a $200,000 fine. He was released from federal custody in March 2025 and ordered to spend a month in a halfway house via a reentry program in Arizona. But with all the charges put behind him, he went on Instagram and thanked Trump for essentially wiping his record clean.
“I want to thank President Trump for granting me a pardon and giving me the opportunity to keep building – as a man, as a father, and as an artist,” he wrote. “This moment means a lot. It opens the door to a future I’ve worked hard for, and I am fully prepared to step into this.”
He continued, thanking his law team and criminal justice reform advocate Alice Marie Johnson.
“Big thanks to the Pardon Czar, Ms. Alice Marie Johnson, for fighting for second chances for so many people, and to my lawyer, Brittany K. Barnett, for being in my corner and all your hard work to make this possible,” he ended the message. And thank you to everyone who believed in me. I’m grateful. I’m Focused. I’m Ready.”
Another big-time pardon that came across Trump’s desk was Larry Hoover, the infamous Chicagoan Gangster Disciples founder, who is serving six consecutive sentences on federal charges. He won’t be freed from federal Supermax prison in Colorado, but will be transferred to a state prison in Illinois to serve the rest of a 200-year sentence for state crimes.
See social media’s response to the pardons below.
