Donald Trump will reportedly pardon Lil Wayne

Free Weezy… again? President Trump is reportedly using his final few hours in office to pardon Lil Wayne. According to Bloomberg News, the Trump administration has been preparing pardons that will be announced on January 19 and the Lil Tunechi rapper has made the list. 

In October 2020, Lil Wayne, real name Dwayne Michael Carter Jr., shared a picture of himself standing next to the 45^th president with both men flashing a thumbs up. “Just had a great meeting with Donald Trump,” tweeted Lil Wayne, who referenced the Trump administration’s Platinum Plan. Released in October, the plan announced the administration’s intentions to “increase capital in Black communities by almost $500 billion” but neglected to outline any actual steps to achieve this goal. “Besides what he’s done so far with criminal reform, the platinum plan is going to give the community real ownership. He listened to what we had to say today and assured he will and can get it done,” added Lil Wayne.

The rapper’s decision to throw his public support behind Trump looks like it’s going to pay off if the pardon goes through. In December 2019, Lil Wayne’s private plane was searched after an anonymous tip was sent to authorities. Police found a “gold-plated .45-caliber Glock handgun with a pearl grip,” as well as ecstasy, marijuana, heroin, pain killers, and prescription-strength cough syrup, along with $25,938 in cash. In November 2020, Lil Wayne was hit with a federal weapons charge for having the firearm and ammunition onboard. The rapper pleaded guilty in December and will be sentenced in February. He faces up to 10 years in prison. 

Lil Wayne’s support of Trump caused a massive backlash from many of his fans and possibly had repercussions in his personal life. It appears Lil Wayne and model Denise Bidot broke up the same week that Weezy came out publicly in support of Trump. Bidot later denied that Lil Wayne going full MAGA was the reason behind their split, but their pair unfollowed each other within days of Lil Wayne’s thumbs up picture.

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One artist who has been quick to speak out against his fellow musicians supporting Trump is John Legend. During a performance at a Democratic rally in Philadelphia on November 2, Legend used his time at the mic to comment on Lil Wayne, Kanye West, 50 Cent, Lil Pimp and Ice Cube’s support of Trump. “Some of your former favourite rappers have been taken in by these lies. I think they even founded a new supergroup, it’s called the Sunken Place,” said Legend.

“Trump’s Platinum Plan for Black folks is nothing but fool’s gold, because you can’t bank on a word he says. Ask the students of Trump University. Ask all of the contractors he stiffed. Ask people his charity was supposed to help before it was shut down for being a fraud. Ask all the Black and Brown Americans who are dying from this virus and losing their jobs under his watch.”

According to Bloomberg, Trump is not planning to pardon himself, his family (including daughter Ivanka Trump and son-in-law Jared Kushner), or his close aides. A self-pardon has never been attempted by a president and would likely preclude Trump from running for office again as it would indicate an admission of guilt. Trump has previously pardoned his campaign chairman Paul Manafort and Kushner’s father, Charles Kushner. In addition to Lil Wayne, Trump is allegedly planning to pardon rapper Kodak Black and Joe Exotic of Tiger King fame is reportedly so sure he's on the pardon list, he has a limo on stand-by to escort him from prison. 

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