Overview
- The Atlantic published excerpts from Gov. Spencer Cox’s forthcoming book on Thursday, Aug. 27, 2026, in which Cox recounts pitching a Trump pardon to President Biden during an August 2023 limousine ride in Salt Lake City.
- Cox quotes Biden as saying he had “considered this” and that he and First Lady Jill Biden had recently discussed the idea in bed, according to the passages reported by multiple outlets.
- No pardon was issued and the federal prosecutions cited in the account were later dropped after President Trump won the 2024 election.
- The report rests on Cox’s memoir excerpts as obtained by The Atlantic and the White House has not publicly confirmed the conversation.
- The claim underscores how the presidential pardon power can create a tradeoff between pursuing legal accountability and seeking political calm and could renew public debate over how and when clemency is used.