- By Shivangi Sharma
- Fri, 16 May 2025 12:39 AM (IST)
- Source:JND
Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis police officer convicted of murdering George Floyd in 2020, is currently serving a 22.5-year sentence for state charges of murder and manslaughter, along with a separate 21-year federal sentence for violating Floyd’s civil rights. US President Donald Trump could only pardon the federal charges, a state pardon would require action at the state level, meaning Chauvin would remain incarcerated regardless.
Speculation around a pardon gained traction after Trump recently pardoned two Washington, DC, officers involved in the death of Karon Hylton-Brown. That move signalled to some that Chauvin could be next. Rep Marjorie Taylor Greene amplified the idea, publicly calling for Chauvin’s release and repeating discredited claims that George Floyd died of a drug overdose, not from police violence.
ALSO READ: India Has Offered Trade Deal To US With No Tariffs: Trump's BIG Claim
Ben Shapiro Launches Campaign
Conservative commentator Ben Shapiro added fuel to the fire by launching pardonderek.com, a petition site urging Trump to pardon Chauvin. Shapiro argued the prosecution misrepresented Chauvin’s actions during the trial and that no evidence supported hate crime allegations. “George Floyd had no damage to his trachea,” Shapiro claimed. “There were no accusations that Chauvin targeted Floyd due to race.”
Despite the growing calls, Trump denied knowledge of any such plan. When asked in March about a potential pardon, he told reporters in the Oval Office, “No, I haven’t even heard about it.”
George Floyd’s Death and Its Aftermath
The murder of George Floyd, captured on video as Chauvin kneeled on his neck for nearly 10 minutes, became a flashpoint for racial justice protests in the US and around the world. Floyd’s death sparked civil unrest, including the burning of a Minneapolis police station and damage to government buildings in Washington, DC
George Perry Floyd was an African-American man whose death at the hands of Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin on May 25, 2020, sparked global protests against police brutality and racial injustice. Accused of using a counterfeit USD 20 bill, Floyd was pinned down by Chauvin, who knelt on his neck for over nine minutes, leading to Floyd’s death. His final words, “I can’t breathe,” became a powerful protest slogan.
