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Trump says he would issue preemptive pardons to aides if needed

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Coverage spectrum

Covered by 4 outlets, mostly left-leaning (75%).

4 articles in total. The spectrum counts each outlet once and leaves opinion out. How we measure bias

In an interview with the New York Post’s Miranda Devine on the podcast Pod Force One, President Donald Trump said he would, if needed, issue preemptive pardons to members of his staff and allies if Democrats win control of Congress in the midterm elections. Bloomberg and Raw Story report that Trump would offer pardons to Elon Musk, and Raw Story says Democrats have signaled they would use subpoena power to open investigations if they win. The Daily Beast reports that Trump would consider a pardon for any White House staffer who faces prosecution before his second term ends.

Headline and summary written by Mantle’s AI from the coverage below, under published rules. How this works

What happened

Key points

Each point shows who reports it, from Far Left to Far Right.

  1. Trump said in a podcast interview that he would, if needed, issue preemptive pardons to staff and allies if Democrats win Congress.

    Reported byFar Left2Left1Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Far Left
    Raw Story, The Daily Beast
    Left
    Bloomberg
    Right
    New York Post

  2. Trump said he would offer preemptive pardons to Elon Musk and close aides.

    One side only: the leftReported byFar Left1Left1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Far Left
    Raw Story
    Left
    Bloomberg

  3. Democrats have signaled they are preparing to use subpoena power to launch investigations if they win the midterm elections.

    One outletRaw Story· Far Left

  4. Trump said he would consider a preemptive pardon for any White House staffer who faces prosecution before his second term ends.

    One outletThe Daily Beast· Far Left

How each side tells it

Compare views

Every side present reports that Trump said he would, if needed, pardon staff and allies if Democrats win Congress. Left outlets stress Musk and possible Democratic investigations; the Post frames it as protecting staff and allies.

  • the left

    3 outlets

    Headlines present the pardons as a shield against Democratic investigations; Far Left outlets go furthest, with the Daily Beast’s “Shock Sweeping Pardon Plan for His Goons”, while Bloomberg reports the offer plainly.

    Trump Reveals Sensational language“Shock Sweeping Pardon Plan”Calling the pardon plan shocking is a judgement about its effect that the reported facts do not establish.More neutral: Trump Discusses Preemptive Pardon Plan for StaffDisagree with this highlight? for His Dehumanizing label“Goons”Calling White House staff goons is a contemptuous label that pre-judges them before any charges are brought.More neutral: staffDisagree with this highlight?
    The Daily BeastFar LeftAll left-leaning headlines

  • the center

    No coverage yet

    No center outlet that Mantle follows has covered this story yet. That absence is part of the picture.

  • the right

    1 outlet

    The New York Post, which conducted the interview, frames it as Trump protecting staff and allies if Democrats take Congress, using the shorthand “Dems”.

    Trump reveals he’ll use preemptive pardons to protect staff, allies if Dems take Congress
    New York PostRightAll right-leaning headlines

The words they chose

Language to notice

Words that carry a judgement beyond the facts. Tap a highlighted word anywhere on the page to see why.

  • Left5

    vowedseize controlmidterm blowoutShock Sweeping Pardon Plan

  • Center

    Has not covered this story.

  • Right0

    No loaded words in its own voice.

In the outlets’ own words

  • Loaded verb

    vowedMore neutral: said

    ‘Vowed’ presents Trump’s remark as a firm promise, when the same interview frames it as conditional talk.

    President Donald Trump vowed to preemptively pardon his own staffers and Tesla CEO Elon Musk should Democrats seize…

    Used byRaw Story (Far Left)

  • Loaded verb

    seize controlMore neutral: win control

    ‘Seize’ implies Democrats would take control by force rather than by winning an election.

    …to preemptively pardon his own staffers and Tesla CEO Elon Musk should Democrats seize control of Congress in Tuesday’s midterms, Axios reported Monday.

    Used byRaw Story (Far Left)

  • Sensational language

    midterm blowoutMore neutral: midterm elections

    ‘Blowout’ states a forecast of a landslide as if it were settled, while the cited polls only show Democrats favored.

    Trump readies preemptive pardon for Elon Musk as midterm blowout looms

    Used byRaw Story (Far Left)

  • Sensational language

    Shock Sweeping Pardon PlanMore neutral: Trump Discusses Preemptive Pardon Plan for Staff

    Calling the pardon plan shocking is a judgement about its effect that the reported facts do not establish.

    Trump Reveals Shock Sweeping Pardon Plan for His Goons

    Used byThe Daily Beast (Far Left)

Show 1 more phrasesShow fewer

  • Dehumanizing label

    GoonsMore neutral: staff

    Calling White House staff goons is a contemptuous label that pre-judges them before any charges are brought.

    Trump Reveals Shock Sweeping Pardon Plan for His Goons

    Used byThe Daily Beast (Far Left)

See the full language guide

See for yourself

Side by side

What each side leads with and what it leaves out. Open a side to read its headlines.

From the left

3 outlets

Leads with

  • preemptive pardons shielding aides from investigations
  • Elon Musk as a possible recipient
  • Democrats’ subpoena power if they win Congress
See the 3 headlines from the leftHide the headlines
  • The Daily BeastFar Left

    Trump Reveals Sensational language“Shock Sweeping Pardon Plan”Calling the pardon plan shocking is a judgement about its effect that the reported facts do not establish.More neutral: Trump Discusses Preemptive Pardon Plan for StaffDisagree with this highlight? for His Dehumanizing label“Goons”Calling White House staff goons is a contemptuous label that pre-judges them before any charges are brought.More neutral: staffDisagree with this highlight?

    Donald Trump says he’d consider a preemptive pardon for any member of his staff at the White House who faces prosecution before he finishes his second term. “I would if I needed to, sure,” the 80-year-old president told the New York Post’s Miranda Devine in a Monday interview. …

    Read at The Daily Beast (opens in a new tab)
  • Raw StoryFar Left

    Trump readies preemptive pardon for Elon Musk as Sensational language“midterm blowout”‘Blowout’ states a forecast of a landslide as if it were settled, while the cited polls only show Democrats favored.More neutral: midterm electionsDisagree with this highlight? looms

    President Donald Trump Loaded verb“vowed”‘Vowed’ presents Trump’s remark as a firm promise, when the same interview frames it as conditional talk.More neutral: saidDisagree with this highlight? to preemptively pardon his own staffers and Tesla CEO Elon Musk should Democrats Loaded verb“seize control”‘Seize’ implies Democrats would take control by force rather than by winning an election.More neutral: win controlDisagree with this highlight? of Congress in Tuesday’s midterms, Axios reported Monday. …

    Read at Raw Story (opens in a new tab)
  • BloombergLeft

    Trump Says He Would Offer Pardons to Musk, Aides If Necessary

    President Donald Trump said he would be willing to offer protective pardons to Elon Musk and close aides if Democrats take control of Congress after the midterm elections.

    Read at Bloomberg (opens in a new tab)

From the center

0 outlets

No center outlet that Mantle follows has covered this story yet. That absence is part of the picture.

From the right

1 outlet

Leads with

  • protecting staff and allies
  • pardons if Democrats take Congress
  • Trump’s own words in a podcast interview

Leaves out

  • Elon Musk named as a possible recipient, which Bloomberg and Raw Story report

Reported by other sides, not found in this side’s coverage.

See the headline from the rightHide the headlines

The stories you read build My Mix, a private picture of which sides cover the stories you choose, kept on this device. What is My Mix?

The left is Far Left and Left together. The right is Right and Far Right together. Every outlet keeps its own five-point rating.

Who reported it when

How the coverage built up

  • Left

    1 hr 26 min later

    Its first report, Nov 2, 7:26 AM EST

  • Center

    No report yet

    From the outlets Mantle follows

  • Right

    First to report

    New York Post, Nov 2, 6:00 AM EST

See the order the outlets reported inHide the order
  1. New York PostRightNov 2, 6:00 AM EST
  2. BloombergLeftNov 2, 7:26 AM EST
  3. Raw StoryFar LeftNov 2, 7:49 AM EST
  4. The Daily BeastFar LeftNov 2, 7:50 AM EST

Times are the ones the outlets published in their own feeds, in Eastern time. Opinion is left out.

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