After Biden pardoned Hunter, speculation about Trump pardoning his children decreased.

Before President Biden granted his son Hunter a pardon, the media speculated that President-elect Trump would pardon his own children before leaving office in January 2021.

On December 1, 2020, The New York Times published an article stating that former President Trump had discussed pardons with his advisors for his three eldest children, Donald Trump Jr., Eric Trump, and Ivanka Trump, as well as his son-in-law Jared Kushner. The report claimed that Trump was considering issuing pardons "for crimes they have not yet committed," which would essentially be a preemptive get-out-of-jail-free card.

Trump did not grant pardons to his adult children or Giuliani, but other news outlets followed the Times' example.

Rachel Maddow, MSNBC star, stated with a grin while holding up a Times report, "If you had to build a 2020 time capsule in advance, this is probably something you would have invented to put into the 2020 time capsule."

MSNBC and CNN went wall to wall hyping the Times report.

CNN published an article titled "Legal threats and headaches fueling pardon appeals from Trump's family and friends," which highlighted the various legal entanglements faced by Trump's three eldest children, including Don Jr.'s and Kushner's involvement in the Trump Tower meeting with Russians who claimed to have dirt on Hillary Clinton during the 2016 election. Despite being investigated by Special Counsel Robert Mueller, neither Don Jr. nor Kushner were ever charged with any crimes.

According to a source, President Trump is considering granting preemptive pardons to his close associates, including his three eldest children, his son-in-law, and his personal attorney, who have not been charged or convicted of any crimes as of this afternoon.

"ABC News' David Muir hinted at the possibility of President Trump granting pardons to members of his family, including himself, during the beginning of "World News Tonight.""

According to Norah O'Donnell of "CBS Evening News," President Trump and his top allies believe that Ivanka, Jared, Don Jr, and Eric may require a preemptive pardon.

According to sources, President Trump has discussed the possibility of pardons for his family members, but it is not because he believes they have committed any illegal acts. The conversations took place amidst Trump feeling embattled.

The Peacock network released a report addressing the question "Could Trump grant pardons to family members who have not been charged with crimes?" and responded affirmatively, stating "definitely yes."

Washington Post columnist Philip Bump posed a similar question and answer, "What level of protection can Trump provide his family with his pardon power? A significant amount."

"Trump may issue a broad pardon to Jared Kushner, giving him a pass on any federal crimes committed from birth until the moment of the pardon, with the understanding that anyone seeking to prosecute Kushner would have to convince a court to let them do so. The pardon may be vague, which could make it difficult for someone to challenge it. From Trump's perspective, there is no accountability mechanism in place to prevent him from doing so."

The NPR article titled "Talk Of 'Preemptive' Pardons By Trump Raises Questions: What Can He Do?" featured an image of Don Jr. at the top.

The headline in Vanity Fair was more presumptuous, stating "Trump will likely pardon Jared, Ivanka, and possibly Don Jr."

Slate speculated that Trump pardoning his children could make him a bigger criminal target by making them all subject to subpoena to testify about his conduct.

Biden faced criticism from both sides of the political spectrum for granting a broad pardon to Hunter Biden, despite previously stating that he wouldn't.

The pardon he issued Sunday night applies to crimes his son may have committed between January 1, 2014 and December 1, 2024.

""I issued a pardon for my son Hunter today, despite my pledge not to interfere with the Justice Department's decision-making and my observation of his unfair prosecution," Biden stated."

Biden mentioned his son's addiction struggle and attributed the breakdown of Hunter's plea agreement to "political maneuvering."

"The 82-year-old father wrote that there has been an effort to break Hunter, who has been five and a half years sober, even in the face of unrelenting attacks and selective prosecution. In trying to break Hunter, they’ve tried to break me – and there’s no reason to believe it will stop here. Enough is enough."

Planet Chronicle' Emma Colton and Andrea Margolis contributed to this report.