President Trump is taking back what he can't take away - his regret. The former US President expressed anger over his recent pardon of Rep. Henry Cuellar, a Democrat from Texas who was accused of bribery, money laundering, and foreign-agent charges.
Cuellar, 70, had been indicted by the Biden-era Justice Department on charges related to taking $600,000 from Azerbaijan's state-owned oil company and a Mexican bank. The House Democrat has faced criticism for his outspoken views on border policies, which may have contributed to his indictment.
Trump's pardon of Cuellar was seen as an opportunity for Republicans in the 2026 midterm elections, but it seems that didn't sit well with Trump. He took to Truth Social to vent about Cuellar's decision to run for reelection as a Democrat after receiving the pardon.
"Only a short time after signing the Pardon, Congressman Henry Cuellar announced that he will be 'running' for Congress again, in the Great State of Texas (a State where I received the highest number of votes ever recorded!)," Trump wrote. "Such a lack of LOYALTY, something that Texas Voters, and Henry's daughters, will not like. Oh' well, next time, no more Mr. Nice guy!"
Cuellar had previously voted to impeach Trump twice during his first term in office. The pardon seemed to undermine the Democratic Party's chances in the 2026 midterm elections.
Trump's decision to give Cuellar an unconditional pardon was largely seen as a strategic move by Democrats. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries praised the outcome, saying that the indictment was "very thin to begin with."
However, Trump claimed that he received a letter from Cuellar's daughters begging him to spare their father. They pointed out Cuellar's criticism of former President Joe Biden's border policies and his perceived bluntness as factors in his indictment.
Trump expressed regret over Cuellar's decision to run for reelection as a Democrat, saying that it showed a lack of loyalty and would be unpopular with Texas voters and Cuellar's daughters. The pardon has left many questioning Trump's motivations and the Democratic Party's chances in the upcoming elections.
Cuellar, 70, had been indicted by the Biden-era Justice Department on charges related to taking $600,000 from Azerbaijan's state-owned oil company and a Mexican bank. The House Democrat has faced criticism for his outspoken views on border policies, which may have contributed to his indictment.
Trump's pardon of Cuellar was seen as an opportunity for Republicans in the 2026 midterm elections, but it seems that didn't sit well with Trump. He took to Truth Social to vent about Cuellar's decision to run for reelection as a Democrat after receiving the pardon.
"Only a short time after signing the Pardon, Congressman Henry Cuellar announced that he will be 'running' for Congress again, in the Great State of Texas (a State where I received the highest number of votes ever recorded!)," Trump wrote. "Such a lack of LOYALTY, something that Texas Voters, and Henry's daughters, will not like. Oh' well, next time, no more Mr. Nice guy!"
Cuellar had previously voted to impeach Trump twice during his first term in office. The pardon seemed to undermine the Democratic Party's chances in the 2026 midterm elections.
Trump's decision to give Cuellar an unconditional pardon was largely seen as a strategic move by Democrats. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries praised the outcome, saying that the indictment was "very thin to begin with."
However, Trump claimed that he received a letter from Cuellar's daughters begging him to spare their father. They pointed out Cuellar's criticism of former President Joe Biden's border policies and his perceived bluntness as factors in his indictment.
Trump expressed regret over Cuellar's decision to run for reelection as a Democrat, saying that it showed a lack of loyalty and would be unpopular with Texas voters and Cuellar's daughters. The pardon has left many questioning Trump's motivations and the Democratic Party's chances in the upcoming elections.
so trump is mad at cuellar for running as a dem after getting pardoned by him like whats the logic here? didnt he just save his dad's neck from jail? and now hes all bent out of shape cuz cuellar doesnt owe him any loyalty or love or whatever trump thinks lolol what about all the times cuellar voted to impeach him tho? didnt that earn some kinda debt? and btw whos the real winner here? cuellar gets off scot free and trump gets to rant on his social media 
. Like, come on, Donald, you can't just pardon your buddies and then act like they're loyal when they run for office as Democrats again? 
It's pretty shady, if you ask me. And those daughters of his must be cringing right now 
. I mean, Cuellar even voted to impeach Trump twice during his presidency! Talk about a betrayal... or is it just politics as usual? 
his daughters did reach out to trumps team but it was more about their dad's situation than a personal plea for forgiveness 
anyway, the pardon was basically seen as a strategic move by democrats and now they're reaping the benefits 
but honestly, who do we think cuellar should vote for now? democrats or republicans? 
seems like a no-brainer since cuellar was just pardoned by trump...
anywayz, i think trump's motivations are pretty sus... he's always lookin for ways to stir up controversy & boost his rep. and cuellar runnin as a dem in texas might actually work out in trump's favor 
and honestly i feel for the democrats who are already dealing with midterms and all that drama... but at the same time, can we talk about how cuellar got indicted in the first place? $600k from an azerbaijan oil company is some shady stuff 
His pardoning Cuellar was just a publicity stunt, but now it backfired 
Cuellar's daughters didn't even write to him begging for mercy... maybe they're just tired of their dad's drama 
. If he's so concerned about Cuellar's loyalty, maybe he should've thought of that before pardoning him in the first place 
. Cuellar's daughters are just trying to protect their dad and his reputation, but Trump's going to twist it into something about loyalty? Gah