Donald Trump's attention was reportedly ensnared not by the looming transition of power or the final strokes of executive authority, but by a lingering grievance with rapper Snoop Dogg. This fixation, revealed by White House insiders, underscores the often surreal interplay of celebrity and politics that punctuated Trump's tenure.
The discord with Snoop Dogg, a vocal critic of Trump, reached a crescendo as Trump deliberated the clemency petitions before him. Among these was the case of Michael "Harry-O" Harris, a figure whose freedom Snoop Dogg had championed. Harris, a co-founder of Death Row Records, had served over three decades for charges including attempted murder and drug trafficking, and his potential release became a pawn in the broader narrative of Trump's final presidential hours.
According to sources close to the administration, Trump's irritation with Snoop Dogg's prior insults, which included a controversial music video where the rapper pointed a toy gun at a clown resembling Trump, nearly derailed Harris' clemency. "Well, f--k him," Trump reportedly declared in frustration, as per Rolling Stone, a sentiment that set off a frantic scramble among his advisers to navigate the president's personal animosities.
The campaign for Harris' release, intricately linked with Snoop Dogg's advocacy, was nearly capsized by Trump's pique. "Snoop brought this case to me, and I brought Alice Johnson, [who was pardoned by Trump], on board to help it with me, and she brought it to the West Wing," activist Weldon Angelos, himself a beneficiary of Trump's clemency, recounted to The Daily Beast. Johnson, whose own pardon was facilitated by Kim Kardashian, played a pivotal role in advocating for Harris amidst the tumult.
Rapper Snoop Dogg receives his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in Los Angeles. November 20, 2018 11:50am EST
As Trump's tenure ticked away, allies and activists endeavored to recalibrate the president's perspective on Snoop Dogg, ultimately leveraging a clip from an unreleased documentary where the rapper lauded Trump's criminal justice reforms. This strategic maneuver, recounted by Angelos, aimed to dissipate Trump's ire and refocus attention on Harris' clemency, a decision that held profound implications for Harris and symbolized the broader complexities of Trump's clemency powers.
In an eleventh-hour decision, Trump granted clemency to Harris, a move that Snoop Dogg lauded as indicative of the president's commendable actions in office. "That's great work for the president and his team on the way out," Snoop Dogg remarked, acknowledging the positive aspects of Trump's legacy in criminal justice reform.
This episode, emblematic of Trump's presidency, reflected the unpredictable influence of personal dynamics on political decisions. The intercession on behalf of Harris, set against the backdrop of Trump's feud with Snoop Dogg, illustrates the nuanced and often convoluted processes that underpin presidential pardons.
