On December 23, Musk replied to a tweet about “guessing who might get a pardon from President Biden early, the second largest donor to the Democratic Party (with a picture of Biden and SBF’s AI)” stating, “I would be shocked if this didn’t happen.” Note: Biden will step down as President of the United States on January 20, 2025, and transfer presidential power to elected President Trump. A presidential pardon in the United States refers to the President’s pardon of federal crimes (excluding violations of state law) committed by criminals. Article II, Section 2, Clause 1 of the United States Constitution grants the President the power of pardon. If the person being pardoned does not accept the pardon, it will not take effect.