On the eve of the U.S. semiquincentennial, President Donald Trump pardoned 11 individuals, including nine convicted of violating the Clean Air Act by disabling or altering emissions systems on trucks. In a Truth Social post about those nine—whose cases arose under the Biden administration—Trump argued they faced imprisonment for what he characterized as simply repairing their own vehicles, and he announced their immediate release. The pardons follow a separate Trump memo asserting Americans can modify their vehicles as they choose, and they occurred amid a severe heat wave that scientists attribute largely to greenhouse gas emissions, which are regulated by the Clean Air Act. Two other recipients were convicted of fraud in separate cases.