Trump Win Makes McMahon Pardon Likely
One of the biggest winners from Donald Trump’s re-election as President on Tuesday night was Vince McMahon.
McMahon has been under investigation by the Department of Justice since 2022 related to the allegations of rape, sex trafficking, sexual assault, commercial sex transaction, harassment and discrimination brought forth by former WWE employee Janel Grant.
McMahon was served a federal warrant and a subpoena in July 2023 related to the investigation.
McMahon and Trump have a history of friendship and of doing business together. Trump hosted Wrestlemania IX and V at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, promoted for the events as hosted at “Trump Plaza.”
Trump and McMahon were also involved in high profile feud at Wrestlemania XXIII, when Trump’s representative Bobby Lashley defeated McMahon’s representative Umaga. This ended with Trump shaving McMahon’s head.
Trump infamously “bought” Monday Night Raw in 2009 from McMahon as part of a storyline.
In 2013, Trump was inducted in the WWE Hall of Fame.
During the first Trump administration, Vince McMahon’s wife, Linda McMahon, served as Trump’s Small Business Administrator. Linda McMahon currently serves as the Co-Chair for Trump’s Transition Team and is speculated to be a likely Secretary of Commerce.
Given Trump’s promises of pardons for those convicted of crimes on January 6th, 2021, along with Trump’s promise to end federal prosecutions against himself, a pardon of McMahon or at least ending the investigation and prosecution of McMahon seems a certainty.
A Trump pardon of McMahon will not absolve McMahon of civil liability in the lawsuits Grant and the other accusers filed.