The prosecution and conviction of Juan Orlando Hernández, former president of Honduras, and sentence to 45 years imprisonment was one of the big victories in the unfortunately named War on Drugs, a metaphor that’s gone full tilt when it comes to killing.

For your Christmas wish list… pic.twitter.com/pLXzg20SaL

— Pete Hegseth (@PeteHegseth) December 1, 2025

So why then, would Trump state his intention to pardon JOH, as he’s known?

Reporter: You have made so clear how you want to keep drugs out of the US—

Trump: Right

Reporter: Can you explain why you would pardon a notorious drug trafficker?

Trump: I don’t know who you are talking about

Reporter: Juan Orlando Hernandez

Trump: Many of the people of… pic.twitter.com/irI1Ce5Ued

— Acyn (@Acyn) November 30, 2025

After not knowing who the question was about, Trump knew exactly why he was going to issue the pardon, even though the investigation leading to the prosecution began during Trump 1.0.

Trump: Many of the people of Honduras said it was a Biden setup. I looked at the facts and agreed with them.

Reporter: What evidence can you share that it was a setup?

Trump: You can take any country you want, if somebody sells drugs in that country, that doesn’t mean you arrest the president and put him in jail for the rest of his life.

This invocation of “Biden” echoes Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem on “This Week” blaming Biden for the failed vetting of accused Afghani killer, 29-year-old Rahmanullah Lakanwal, ignoring that asylum was granted in April 2025 under the Trump regime.

Blaming Biden has become both an article of faith within the Trump administration and a “get out of jail free” card. Does its mere mention absolve Trump of all responsibility? It’s unclear whether it’s widely believed, or just connected to actions that don’t rise to the level of outrage that justify much concern. But what has become clear is that Trump has found the invocation of “Biden,” whom he loathes for having humiliated him in his loss in 2020, to be an all-purpose excuse.

And indeed, the Tu Quoque Choir has embraced the “but Biden” rationalization to provide plausible cover to Trump’s behavior at almost every turn. Bad pardons of miscreants who paid off Trump? What about Biden pardoning his son, huh? Trump calling women reporters stupid, insubordinate, piggy? What about Biden calling Doocy a “stupid son of a bitch,” huh? The obvious answer, of course, is that it was wrong for Biden and wrong for Trump, but that doesn’t seem to connect for the apologists

At some point, Trump has to take responsibility for his own actions and stop using Biden as his go-to justification for any bizarre, inexplicable or flagrantly improper action, such as pardoning JOH. At some point, his base needs to do the same, or at the very least give some thought to the fact that merely mentioning “Biden” neither explains nor justifies whatever Trump does. At some point, Trump and the sycophants in his administration need to own what they choose to do. No matter how much Trump and his minions hate Biden, it’s now the Trump presidency and Biden is no longer to blame for Trump’s improprieties.