Right-wingers are pushing President Donald Trump to add a new name to the list of the over 1,500 individuals he has pardoned since assuming office in January: Derek Chauvin, the former police officer found guilty of murdering George Floyd in Minneapolis in 2020.
Video of Floyd's death, which showed Chauvin kneeling on Floyd's neck for more than nine minutes after being accused of using a counterfeit $20 bill at a convenience store, sparked Black Lives Matter protests and riots across the country.
In 2021, Chauvin was sentenced to over 22 years in prison after being convicted on charges of second-degree murder, third-degree murder, and second-degree manslaughter in the death of Floyd.
Chauvin was convicted in state court for Floyd's death, a sentence Trump can't touch. He also pleaded guilty to federal civil rights charges, which Trump could overturn.
Right-wingers, including Ben Shapiro and Elon Musk, are calling on Trump to free Chauvin, which they know he can't do.
"The Derek Chauvin conviction represents the defining achievement of the Woke movement in American politics," Shapiro wrote in a letter to Trump on Tuesday. "The country cannot turn the page on that dark, divisive, and racist era without righting this terrible wrong."
He also launched a site featuring a petition supporters can sign.
Shapiro's "Pardon Derek Chauvin" movement echoed criticisms the right has long used to discredit and minimize Floyd's death, including Floyd having fentanyl in his body at the time of his death and having a pre-existing heart condition, while also arguing that Chauvin's detention method did not cause his death.
The medical examiner who reviewed Floyd's death previously testified that while heart disease and fentanyl may have contributed to Floyd's death, the neck compression by Chauvin was the main cause of his death.
Shapiro's plea claims that "there was massive overt pressure on the jury" and that Democrats, including the mayor of Minneapolis and then-President Joe Biden, "pre-judged the outcome of the trial" and created added pressure on the jury to return a guilty verdict.
"Under these circumstances, there was no opportunity for blind justice to work, and a man is now rotting in prison because of it," Shapiro argued.
His plea to Trump conflates the two different convictions, calling on Trump to pardon Chauvin for Floyd's murder and "associated federal charges.
But Shapiro isn't alone in his belief that Trump should grant Chauvin a pardon, and since kicking off his movement, right-wingers like Musk have boosted the campaign.
"Something to think about," Musk wrote in a post amplifying Shapiro's "Pardon Derek" site.
While Shapiro's announcement quickly drew a flurry of criticism on X, on Truth Social—the predominantly right-wing platform launched by Trump as a free speech social media alternative—the news was met with a warm welcome.
"DEREK CHAUVIN IS INNOCENT!" one Truth user appealed to Trump.
"Another person in prison for purely political reasons," derided another commenter.
"He was framed," claimed someone else.
Argued another poster: "Pardoned? He should be exonerated!!! Then he should sue Minnesota."
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