Donalds Condemns Christmas Eve Pardons, 'This Country Does Not Have a President Right Now'

President Biden commuted the sentences of 37 of the 40 federal inmates on death row to life in prison, a move that infuriated many Republicans. Representative Byron Donalds (R-FL) commented on the pardons in a recent appearance on Fox News's Hannity, where he suggested Biden was not personally involved because "this country does not have a president right now."

Rep. Donalds posted the clip to X (formerly Twitter), adding, "We are a country without a president, and it's been this way for FOUR YEARS. Our country is being run by radical, unelected bureaucrats. And these radicals are granting clemency to the worst among us on their way out the door. The American people RIGHTLY REJECTED THIS TRAVESTY."

Rep. Donalds further insinuated in the clip that "nobody thinks [Biden] even knows about these clemencies or these pardons. This is the radical left staff that has been running this administration for the last four years."

As a result, the Florida Congressman agreed with President-elect Donald Trump, who condemned the clemencies in a Christmas Day Truth Social post, saying, "I refuse to wish a Merry Christmas to those lucky 'souls' but, instead, will say, GO TO HELL!"

Moreover, Donalds emphasized that President Biden was not personally involved in the clemencies because "We have the radical left doing all the things that they have been wanting to do for a very long time on their way out the door while Joe Biden is at the beach or taking a nap or whatever it is he is doing. This is a travesty, and our country does not have a president right now."

Donalds' comments come on the heels of recent admissions from White House staff that Biden's mental health had been in decline since he first took office in 2021, with shortened meetings held within a six-hour window that closed around 4 PM and even hiring a voice coach to improve his speech-giving abilities.

In July, Donalds had previously accused the media and Democratic Party of "gaslighting" America about Biden's health, saying on Newsmax, "These same Democrats two weeks ago were saying that Biden was 'one of the greatest presidents ever. Look at what he's done,' even though they knew full well that his capabilities had been diminished over the last several years. I think when you talk about how people aren't really being fooled by the propaganda from the Democrat machine, it is because the American people are now accustomed to the gaslighting that comes from Democrats and comes from the media."