'We're human beings': Trump complains of hurt feelings as he appears to rule out pardon

Donald Trump openly suggested that he bases presidential pardons on personal loyalty—and complained that one person reportedly seeking freedom might be out of luck because he once hurt the now-president's feelings, a podcaster said Saturday.

In a NewsMax interview, Trump revealed his approach to clemency while discussing potential pardons for hip-hop mogul Sean Combs and disgraced congressman George Santos.

Bulwark Editor Sam Stein called out Trump's logic in his Saturday show. "He just said, like, the reason he might not do it is because Sean Combs was not nice to him during one of his campaigns," he wrote Saturday.

When asked about pardoning Combs—who was convicted on prostitution-related charges last month—Trump complained, "When I ran for office, he was very hostile... when you know someone and you were fine and then you run for office and he makes some terrible statements... it makes it more difficult."

"More likely a 'no' for Combs?" the Newsmax host asked.

"I would say so," Trump confirmed.

Trump went on, “It’s hard, you know? We’re human beings and we don’t like to have things cloud our judgment, right? But when you know someone and you were fine and then you run for office and he makes some terrible statements … it makes it more difficult. I’m being honest. It makes it more difficult to do."

Trump simultaneously signaled he'd pardon serial fraudster and former New York congressman George Santos. "He lied like hell. I didn't know him, but he was 100 percent for Trump," the president said.

"Well, points for candor, right?" Stein wrote sarcastically. "The guy admits 'I'm going to give pardons to people who I like and who are nice to me.'"