What have GOP candidates said about pardoning former President Donald Trump?

Former President Donald Trump, the early GOP frontrunner, has not been convicted of charges relating to his unlawful possession of classified documents. But the scenario of a presidential pardon for Trump looms over the 2024 campaign trail. 

Most of the Republican presidential candidates have said they would pardon Trump.

Entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy offered a full-throated pledge to pardon Trump if elected. 

Others have said they would consider pardoning Trump, or at least haven’t ruled it out. 

Just two candidates, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, have said unambiguously that they would not pardon Trump if elected.

Here’s a rundown of where the candidates stand on pardoning the former president. 

RELATED: Can the GOP candidates pardon Trump? Can Trump pardon himself?

Entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy

Ramaswamy traveled to the federal district courthouse in Miami, where Trump would be arraigned, and pledged to pardon Trump if elected.

"It would be much easier for me to win this election if Trump weren’t in the race, but I stand for principles over politics. I commit to pardon Trump promptly on Jan. 20, 2025, and to restore the rule of law in our country," he said June 8. 

Ramaswamy challenged other GOP candidates to follow his lead.

Three other candidates have indicated an openness to pardoning Trump, though they said they wanted to see how it would play out.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis

DeSantis has spoken out against the "weaponization" of the Department of Justice without committing to a pardon.

On a May 25 episode of "The Clay Travis & Buck Sexton Show," he said that he would pardon people who have been targeted as a result of politics.

"On Day One, I will have folks that will get together and look at all these cases, who people are victims of weaponization or political targeting, and we will be aggressive at issuing pardons," DeSantis said.

"I would say any example of disfavored treatment based on politics or weaponization would be included in that review, no matter how small or how big," he added.

Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley

Haley said on "The Clay Travis & Buck Sexton Show" that Trump would have been "incredibly reckless with our national security" if the charges were true. But she added that she is "inclined in favor of a pardon."

"I think we all need to let this trial play out," she said June 13. "We need to see exactly what happens. When you look at a pardon, the issue is less about guilt and more about what’s good for the country. And I think it would be terrible for the country to have a former president in prison for years because of a documents case."

Miami Mayor Francis Suarez

In an interview with MSNBC, the Miami mayor said that he would consider pardoning the former president in order to "heal the country." 

"Certainly if I became president, one thing I would look at as president is using the pardon power to heal the country. And that, by the way, doesn’t go for one party, it goes for both parties," he said June 16.

South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott

Scott has echoed other candidates’ claims of anti-conservative bias in the indictments while sidestepping the question of whether he’d pardon Trump on a recent episode of "Fox News Sunday." 

"I’m not going to deal with the hypotheticals, but I will say that every American is innocent until proven guilty," Scott said June 18.

Former Vice President Mike Pence

Pence said on "The Clay Travis & Buck Sexton Show" that while the charges against Trump are serious, making a judgment at this point would be "premature." 

"I can’t defend what’s been alleged, but the president does deserve to make his defense," he said June 14. 

The former vice president to Trump reiterated that position two days later on NBC’s "Meet the Press," telling host Chuck Todd, "I just think the question is premature."

North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum

Asked about a Trump pardon on "The Hugh Hewitt Show," a conservative talk program, Burgum deflected. Like Scott, he wanted to "stay away from hypotheticals." 

"I mean, from a leadership standpoint, you’re asking me a hypothetical question about something from two years from now when we don’t even know if this is going to go forward, or if there’s even going to be a conviction," Burgum said June 16.

Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie

Christie, a frequent critic of Trump, gave a straightforward response when asked whether he would pardon the former president. He said on "The Brian Kilmeade Show," a Fox News Radio program, "I can't imagine, if he gets a fair trial, that I would pardon him. To accept a pardon, you have to admit your guilt."

Former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson

Like Christie, Hutchinson is very critical of Trump. 

Hutchinson publicly called on Trump to drop out of the race in light of the federal charges. He said that a pardon "should have no place in the campaign."

"That's a misuse of the pardon power and should have no place in a campaign or a serious discussion of the office of president," Hutchinson said during a June 14 interview with Scripps News.

Senior Correspondent Louis Jacobson contributed to this report.