Trump's top GOP challengers say they'd pardon him if they got elected president so the country can 'move on'

• Ron DeSantis told reporters that as president, he would pardon Donald Trump if he is convicted.
• Other challengers, including Nikki Haley, agree with the idea of a Trump pardon.

Florida governor and presidential hopeful Ron DeSantis reaffirmed to reporters that he would, if necessary, pardon former President Donald Trump if elected president.

After a campaign event in Iowa on December 29, DeSantis spoke with reporters and doubled down on comments he made in July on The Megyn Kelly Show, saying that pardoning Trump was something he said "long ago," according to NBC News.

DeSantis likened the situation to former president Gerald Ford pardoning his predecessor, Richard Nixon, in his comments, acknowledging that Ford "took some heat" for it.

"I think we got to move on as a country and, you know, like Ford did to Nixon, because the divisions are just not in the country's interest," he said.

According to NBC News, a DeSantis campaign spokesperson confirmed DeSantis' pardon plan the next day.

DeSantis and Trump have had disagreements in the past, but as the former president holds a significant lead over DeSantis and the field, showing sympathy has the potential to help in the polls.

And the Florida governor is not the only GOP candidate entertaining the idea of pardoning Trump if convicted.

A day before DeSantis, former UN ambassador Nikki Haley also supported the idea of pardoning Trump while campaigning in New Hampshire.

"I would pardon Trump if he is found guilty," she said. "What's in the best interest of the country would be to pardon him so that we can move on as a country and no longer talk about him."

Both candidates referenced Trump's age and previous presidential status as reasoning for keeping the 77-year-old out of prison.

"What's in the best interest of the country is not to have an 80-year-old man sitting in jail that continues to divide our country," Haley said.

In June, Vivek Ramaswamy, another GOP challenger, also supported pardoning Trump, according to Politico.

While DeSantis, Haley, and others are in agreement on a pardon, not every GOP candidate is on board.

Chris Christie, former New Jersey governor, has been adamant about not pardoning Trump if given the chance.

Former Arkansas governor and GOP candidate Asa Hutchinson also disagrees with DeSantis and Haley. On Monday, Hutchinson said he would not pardon Trump if convicted, according to Little Rock, Arkansas television network THV11.

"Despite the pledge of Haley and DeSantis to pardon Donald Trump, I will not make that commitment," he said. "It is wrong to promise pardons to score political points, and it undermines the principle of equal justice."