Trump pardons Honduras ex-president days before vote.

US President Donald Trump on Friday made an unexpected move in Honduran politics just days before the countrys presidential election, announcing a pardon for a former Honduran leader and warning that US assistance could be withdrawn if his favored candidate is defeated.

Trump stated that he will pardon former president Juan Orlando Hernandez, who was convicted in the United States last year on drug trafficking charges and sentenced to 45 years in prison. Hernandez, who governed Honduras from 2014 to 2022, was found by US prosecutors to have enabled the shipment of around 400 tons of cocaine into the United States. He was extradited shortly after leaving office, when current president Xiomara Castro assumed power.

The announcement appeared in a social media post in which Trump reaffirmed his backing of Nasry Asfura, the candidate representing Hernandezs right-wing party in Sundays presidential vote. While Trump had publicly supported Asfura before, his latest message suggested that future American aid could depend on Asfuras success.

Trump wrote that if Asfura loses, the United States will not continue investing resources, warning that a wrong leader can only bring catastrophic results to a country. He issued a similar warning ahead of Argentinas election last month.

Asfura, a 67-year-old businessman and former mayor of Tegucigalpa, faces a close three-way contest against left-leaning attorney Rixi Moncada and conservative television host Salvador Nasralla. Trump accused the 72-year-old Nasralla of acting as a spoiler to siphon votes from Asfura, noting that Nasralla previously served as vice president under Castro before stepping down.

Trump also criticized Moncada, Castros political successor, labeling her a communist and claiming her victory would benefit Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro and what he called Narcoterrorists.

The decision to pardon Hernandez comes even as the United States continues a major regional effort aimed at disrupting narcotics networks, an operation in which more than 80 people have been killed during maritime strikes. In March 2024, a New York jury found Hernandez guilty of helping move massive quantities of cocainelargely from Colombia and Venezuelathrough Honduras into the United States, activity that began years before his presidency.

After Hernandezs sentencing, former US attorney general Merrick Garland said the ex-president had abused his power to support one of the largest and most violent drug trafficking conspiracies in the world. Trump, however, insisted on Friday that Hernandez had been treated very harshly and unfairly, without providing further details.