George Santos is only on Special Forces because President Trump cut his prison sentence short
He was supposed to be in jail for another six years
George Santos appears on the new season of Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test tonight, but as it turns out he’s actually still supposed to be in prison for another six years, but his sentence was cut short by President Trump.
He was sentenced to seven years and three months in federal prison in April 2025 after pleading guilty to wire fraud and aggravated identity theft tied to his 2022 congressional campaign. This included stealing donors’ financial information and using campaign funds on personal luxuries. He reported to prison on July 25, 2025.
However, on October 17, 2025, President Trump commuted George’s sentence, releasing him after just 84 days behind bars. It’s worth noting this was a commutation rather than a full pardon, Trump shortened the prison term, but George’s underlying conviction still stands on his record.
At the time of commuting him, President Trump posted on Truth Social that George was “‘somewhat of a rogue,’ but there are many rogues throughout our Country that aren’t forced to serve seven years in prison.” He added that Santos had been in solitary confinement for long stretches and, by his account, had been “horribly mistreated.”
Before the commutation, George had publicly asked President Trump for a pardon, telling a Saudi outlet he never got past “the gatekeepers” to reach the president directly, and separately wrote Trump a letter from prison asking for “fairness, for the chance to rebuild.”
So, if President Trump hadn’t cut his prison sentence short then we wouldn’t have got George Santos on this season of Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test. Season five filmed in Malaysia in May 2026, about seven months after George walked free.
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