A reporter told Trump in the Oval Office that  "your allies are calling on you to pardon Derek Chauvin," before asking whether he's considering a presidential pardon.

"No, I haven't even heard about it," the president replied. "No. I haven't heard that."

Trump's remarks come in the context of a petition launched this week by conservative commentator Ben Shapiro, who called for a presidential pardon for Chauvin, who is serving a 22½-year sentence for unintentional murder, third-degree murder, and manslaughter.

Floyd's final moments were captured on video, as Chauvin restrained him with a knee to the neck or upper back area while attempting to arrest him for using a counterfeit $20 bill at a store.

"As you know, this was the inciting event for the [Black Lives Matter] riots that caused $2 billion in property damage in cities across the United States and set America's race relations on their worst footing in recent memory," Shapiro's petition reads.

"Yet the evidence demonstrates that Derek Chauvin did not murder George Floyd."

Two autopsies were conducted after George Floyd's death. The official autopsy by the Hennepin County Medical Examiner concluded Floyd died from cardiopulmonary arrest due to law enforcement restraint and neck compression, classifying it as homicide. It noted contributing factors such as heart disease, fentanyl intoxication, and methamphetamine use, but did not list them as the primary cause.

The report also found no life-threatening injuries to Floyd, including no evidence of traumatic asphyxia or strangulation, though experts have noted that neck compression can still be fatal without leaving clear physical marks.