US President Donald Trump has granted pardons to six individuals, which he stated were targeted by the Biden administration while incarcerated or facing imprisonment, allegedly because they were performing auto repairs. On his platform, Truth Social, Trump posted on Friday: “Even if this sounds ridiculous, it is a fact and part of the instrumentalization and stupidity that our country had to endure during the four long years under ‘Sleepy Joe’ Biden.”
Reports suggest that Trump is referencing cases related to the “Right to Repair” debate, specifically legal proceedings against diesel workshops and mechanics who were accused of manipulating or removing exhaust emission control systems, a practice known as “diesel delete” or “emissions tampering.” Such actions are criminal offenses under U.S. federal law, including the Clean Air Act.
In one specific case, where Trump previously issued a pardon, a Wyoming diesel mechanic reportedly served seven months of a one-year sentence after pleading guilty to disabling emission monitoring systems on hundreds of heavy vehicles. However, Trump had publicly claimed that the man had been sentenced to seven years in prison. Earlier this June, Trump remarked, “The Democrats actually have a rule: if you are caught repairing your tractor, you go to jail.”
