Former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez will be pardoned by President Donald Trump, Trump announced on social media, saying Hernandez was “treated very harshly and unfairly” according to people he respects. Hernandez was convicted in March 2024 in a U.S. court of conspiring to import cocaine into the United States and on weapons charges; he was sentenced to 45 years in prison and has been appealing while serving time at the U.S. Penitentiary, Hazelton in West Virginia.
A lawyer for Hernandez, Renato C. Stabile, thanked Trump, calling the pardon a correction of “a great injustice” and expressing hope for future U.S.–Honduras partnership and Hernandez’s return to Honduras. Another lawyer, Sabrina Shroff, declined to comment.
Trump’s post was part of a broader message backing Nasry “Tito” Asfura in Honduras’ presidential election. Trump said the U.S. would support Honduras if Asfura wins, but warned that if Asfura loses the United States “will not be throwing good money after bad,” suggesting a wrong leader could bring catastrophic results. Asfura, 67, a conservative National Party candidate and former Tegucigalpa mayor, is running on infrastructure promises; he has faced embezzlement accusations, which he denies.
Other leading contenders include Rixi Moncada of the incumbent Libre party, a former finance and defense secretary, and Salvador Nasralla, a former TV personality running for the Liberal Party in his fourth presidential bid. Trump framed the Honduran election as a test for democracy, warning that a loss by Asfura could lead Honduras toward Venezuela-style influence under Nicolás Maduro.
Trump has recently escalated pressure on Venezuela, ordering strikes against boats suspected of carrying drugs and increasing U.S. naval presence in the Caribbean, including deployment of the USS Gerald R. Ford. He has not ruled out military or covert CIA action against Venezuela, though he has said he might be open to speaking with Maduro.
Outgoing Honduran President Xiomara Castro has taken a leftist stance but maintained pragmatic relations with the U.S., receiving visits from Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and, earlier, U.S. Army Gen. Laura Richardson when she led U.S. Southern Command. Castro has backed off threats to end Honduras’ extradition treaty and military cooperation with the U.S. Under her administration, Honduras has received deported Hondurans from the U.S. and served as a transit point for deported Venezuelans who were later repatriated by Venezuela.
Argentine President Javier Milei, an admirer of Trump, publicly supported Asfura on X, saying Asfura represents the opposition to “leftist tyrants” who have harmed Honduras.
Caption: Former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez, second from right, is taken in handcuffs to a waiting aircraft as he is extradited to the United States, at an Air Force base in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, April 21, 2022. (Elmer Martinez/AP)