Muhammad Ali’s career in the ring came to a standstill in 1967 upon the late boxer’s conviction for avoiding the Vietnam Draft by declaring himself a conscientious objector. Four years later, the U.S. Supreme Court reversed that conviction by a unanimous vote; 47 years later, Donald Trump is suggesting he will pardon Ali’s nonexistent conviction.
Trump, of course, similarly avoided military service due to his personal beliefs—specifically, his personal belief that he should not have to go to Vietnam. (He did, later, say his attempts to avoid STDs via his womanizing were “scary, like Vietnam.”) So now the U.S. president says he may pardon Ali, though Ali has no federal criminal record of which to be pardoned:
Facts? Where we’re going, we don’t need facts. But if you plan on bringing some with you, here is some supplemental reading you might enjoy: