Amid calls for President Donald Trump to pardon former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, Minnesota and Minneapolis officials said they are preparing for potential riots if that should happen.
Chauvin was convicted in 2021 of killing George Floyd, whose death touched off months of unrest across the country. He was sentenced to 21 years in prison on federal charges and 22.5 years on state charges, which are being served concurrently.
According to KSTP-TV, even though Trump has not indicated that he plans to pardon Chauvin, Democrats are publicly talking about how they are gearing up for that to happen.
“He still owes Minnesota 22-and-a-half years. And, he’s going to do it either in Minnesota or somewhere, but he’s not getting out,” Attorney General Keith Ellison said, indicating that wiping away federal charges will not alter the state charges against Chauvin.
Democratic Gov. Tim Walz added fuel to the fire of rumors that Chauvin might be pardoned while saying the state was ready should that take place.
“No indication whether they’re going to do it, or not, but I think it behooves us to be prepared for it. With this presidency, it seems like something they would do,” he said.
The media is REALLY trying to push this race war and ignite the flame.
While I would love to see Chauvin get released from prison since he was NOT responsible for Floyd’s death, President Trump can’t pardon him of the State convictions.
This is an attempt by the left wing media… pic.twitter.com/QbFQwdOYxu
— AmericanPapaBear (@AmericaPapaBear) May 14, 2025
KSTP did note that Trump, when asked about the subject in March, replied, “No, I have not heard about that.”
Minneapolis Community Safety Commissioner Toddrick Barnette issued a statement acknowledging “rumors” of a pardon:
Will Trump pardon Derek Chauvin?
“To be clear, we have no credible intelligence about any pardon or planned disruptions here in Minneapolis. Since 2020, we’ve overhauled our emergency management plans and out of an abundance of caution are planning for any eventuality.”
An online petition drive exists requesting a pardon for Chauvin.
“The evidence demonstrates that Derek Chauvin did not murder George Floyd,” conservative commentator Ben Shapiro wrote in an open letter to Trump.
“George Floyd was high on fentanyl. He had a significant pre-existing heart condition. He was saying he could not breathe before he was even out of the car. Derek Chauvin, for large segments of the widely circulated video of the encounter, had his knee on George Floyd’s shoulder or back, not on his neck; this was confirmed by the autopsy, which showed no damage to George Floyd’s trachea. There was no accusation at trial that Derek Chauvin targeted George Floyd for his race,” Shapiro explained.
“Perhaps most significantly, there was massive overt pressure on the jury to return a guilty verdict regardless of the evidence or any semblance of impartial deliberation. This pressure took the form of threats, coercion, and intimidation.
President Trump should, as we have been calling for, pardon Chauvin. One of the biggest reasons Chauvin was convicted was jury and political intimidation by rioters. Now the same people who helped railroad him are concerned that people might riot if justice is done. https://t.co/HaAx4gTADa
— Ben Shapiro (@benshapiro) May 14, 2025
“The Mayor of Minneapolis pre-judged the outcome of the trial and immediately issued a large settlement to the Floyd family. Then-President Biden, Congresswoman Maxine Waters, and others pre-judged the outcome of the trial and took to national media to create pressure on the jury to go along with their preferred narrative,” Shapiro wrote.
“Under these circumstances, there was no opportunity for blind justice to work, and a man is now rotting in prison because of it.”
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