Donald Trump traded the hum of Marine One's helicopter engines for the low roar of Air Force One's jet turbines, fittingly turning "Chopper Talk" into "Tarmac Talk" as his presidency throttles up.

He opted to take "The Beast" to Joint Base Andrews outside Washington for a West Coast fundraising and campaign rally swing, rather than the armored SUVs he often takes. Mr Trump exited the blast-resistant Cadillac limousine and strode confidently toward members of the media waiting for him under the executive jet's wing.

During his latest impromptu comments to reporters – this one spanning around 15 minutes on a list of topics – the president announced pardons or lessened sentences for several high-profile and controversial figures, including disgraced former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich, who admitted to trying to sell Barack Obama's Senate seat after he became president to the highest bidder offering campaign contributions.

He also announced a full pardon for Bernie Kerik, a former New York City police commissioner, who was convicted of using his office for personal gain.

Shortly after he finally boarded Air Force One and lifted off for his first stops – pricey closed-door campaign fundraising events in Beverly Hills, California – the White House announced the president also had issued a full pardon to wealthy financier Michael Milken, who the White House said "pioneered the use of high-yield bonds in corporate finance." Mr Milken was among those responsible in the 1980s for so-called "junk bonds," which helped companies expand – but left slew of businesses deeply in debt or forced to close up shop. But what he was sentenced to two years in prison for schemes prosecutors said were designed to enrich himself and some clients.

Donald Trump celebrity president: A decade in two halves Show all 29 1 /29 Donald Trump celebrity president: A decade in two halves Donald Trump celebrity president: A decade in two halves Trump styles his 'You're fired!' pose in his Trump Tower office in June 2012. At the time he was known as a reality TV star on The Apprentice Diane Bondareff/Invision/AP Donald Trump celebrity president: A decade in two halves He was also well known as the patron of the Miss Universe competition Getty Donald Trump celebrity president: A decade in two halves Early signs of Trump's ambition for the presidency can be found everywhere. Not least in his 2011 book 'Time to get tough: Making America #1 again' Getty Donald Trump celebrity president: A decade in two halves Trump with Piers Morgan in November 2010. Piers Morgan has long held that he and Trump are good friends Getty Donald Trump celebrity president: A decade in two halves Trump appeared on Fox & Friends, his favourite show, in August 2011 Getty Donald Trump celebrity president: A decade in two halves Trump considered running in the 2012 election, where he would have faced Barack Obama. He is speaking here at an event for a Republican women's group Getty Donald Trump celebrity president: A decade in two halves Trump was subject to a Comedy Central roast in 2011. He is pictured here being roasted by rapper Snoop Dogg Getty Donald Trump celebrity president: A decade in two halves Given that this Trump store is in the lobby of Trump Tower, it can be said that Trump sells merchandise of himself out of his own home Getty Donald Trump celebrity president: A decade in two halves Trump held meetings with prominent Republicans when considering his 2012 bid. He is pictured here with Alaska governor Sarah Palin Getty Donald Trump celebrity president: A decade in two halves He didn't end up running in 2012 afterall, instead endorsing Republican candidate Mitt Romney AFP/Getty Donald Trump celebrity president: A decade in two halves Trump's golf course in Aberdeen proved controversial in 2012 when he began lobbying the Scottish government against wind power in order that they wouldn't install turbines off the shore by his new course Getty Donald Trump celebrity president: A decade in two halves He even gave evidence to a Scottish parliamentary committee discouraging wind energy AFP/Getty Donald Trump celebrity president: A decade in two halves He still found time for a round of course AFP/Getty Donald Trump celebrity president: A decade in two halves On 16 June 2015, Trump announced that he would run for the presidency of the United States in the 2016 election as a Republican Getty Donald Trump celebrity president: A decade in two halves His campaign was divisive, courting controversy wherever he went. Ultimately he was declared the Republican candidate in June 2016 Getty Donald Trump celebrity president: A decade in two halves Trump took part in the TV debate against opponent Hillary Clinton on 9 October Getty Donald Trump celebrity president: A decade in two halves Trump and wife Melania vote in the presidential election on 8 November 2016 AFP/Getty Donald Trump celebrity president: A decade in two halves Hillary Clinton conceded defeat at 2:50am on 9 November and president-elect Trump swiftly delivered his victory speech to a crowd of supporters Getty Donald Trump celebrity president: A decade in two halves News coverage around the world focused on the huge political upset that Trump's victory spelled AFP/Getty Donald Trump celebrity president: A decade in two halves Trump met with president Obama to discusss transition planning on 10 November. AFP/Getty Donald Trump celebrity president: A decade in two halves Donald Trump and Nigel Farage pose in the golden elevator at Trump Tower on 12 November 2016. Farage was the first British politician to meet with Trump after the election LeaveEUOffical/Twitter Donald Trump celebrity president: A decade in two halves The inauguration of Donald Trump took place on 20 January 2017. Trump's press secretary Sean Spicer boasted that the crowd was the 'largest ever' to witness an inauguration, a claim that was proved not to be true Getty Donald Trump celebrity president: A decade in two halves In his first 100 days as leader, Trump signed 24 executve orders, the most of any president AFP/Getty Donald Trump celebrity president: A decade in two halves One of Trump's most memorable election pledges was to build a wall between the US and Mexico. He is standing here in front of a prototype for a section of the wall Getty Donald Trump celebrity president: A decade in two halves Trump's meetings with other world leaders have provided no short supply of photo opportunities Getty Donald Trump celebrity president: A decade in two halves Trump was welcomed to the UK by the Queen and a state banquet was held at Buckingham Palace in his honour Reuters Donald Trump celebrity president: A decade in two halves Not everyone welcomed the president. Mass protests were held in London throughout his visits in both 2018 and 2019 EPA Donald Trump celebrity president: A decade in two halves One of the most significant meetings Trump has held with another leader was with North Korea's Kim Jong Un. In June 2019, Trump became the first sitting president to set foot in North Korea Getty Donald Trump celebrity president: A decade in two halves 2020 will see president Trump fight for a second term in office, who knows what the next decade will bring? Getty

And before he left the White House, a press aide walked several San Francisco 49er legends to the microphones outside the West Wing after a hasty warning of "an announcement" coming soon. That was to inform the world that the president had pardoned former 49ers owner Edward J DeBartolo Jr, who was convicted as part of a corruption scandal in Louisiana.

So why now?

That was the question swirling around the pardons, which seemingly came out of the blue – though one White House official rightly noted most of the cases had been mentioned by the president or in press reports before Tuesday.

Basically, according to the president and White House aides, because he could – and the impeachment drama proved Democrats largely are powerless to slow down what they see as a runaway executive emboldened by his Senate acquittal.

"The president decided he wanted to do them today," the same official said. "So we rolled them out in one package. I don't think any of these were a big secret. The president had even talked about being approached or hearing about most of these cases before."

"The pardon power is right there in the Constitution," the White House official added. "There's no question whether this president or any other has the right to review cases and make a decision about pardons or comutations."

Or, as Mr Trump himself put it several miles away at the base known simply as JBA: "I chose not to be involved. I'm allowed to be totally involved. I'm actually, I guess, the chief law enforcement officer of the country. But I've chosen not to be involved."

Translation: Though Mr Trump was referring to the case of Roger Stone, his longtime pal and former political adviser who is facing a possible prison sentence on charges of lying to Congress and obstructing a federal investigation, he has used similar language in the past to make clear he believes he has the legal authority to weigh in not just on Justice Department cases but how long – and whether – convicted criminals should be sentenced.

To hear the president describe his own view of his authorities, he is not so much above the law. Rather, he is the country's best hope for enforcing his version of its laws.

"You look at a Roger Stone. ... You take a look at what's happening to these people. Somebody has to stick up for the people," he said, referring to a list of his former aides and associates who have been convicted – many for work and deeds they carried out on his behalf.

Translation: My people. My Justice Department. My call.

Congressional Democrats reacted swiftly, and with their typical outrage.

"The pardoning of these disgraced figures should be treated as another national scandal by a lawless executive," Democratic Congressman Bill Pascrell said. "In office, Trump has used pardons almost exclusively to shield unrepentant felons, racists, and corrupt scoundrels like Blagojevich and now Milken, one of the most prolific financial criminals in US history."

"The presidential pardon is sacred under the Constitution and perhaps represents Trump's most dangerous abuse of power precisely because the pardon power is unfettered and cannot be reviewed by Congress or the courts," Mr Pascrell said. "Following Senate Republicans' sham impeachment trial and decision to hold Trump immune from any sanctions for his crimes, outrageous abuses like these will accelerate and worsen."

The White House official did not deny that Mr Trump feels newly confident with the renewed confidence that Democrats lack the votes to use the pardons or Mr Trump's other chesty post-acquittal actions to convict and remove him from office.

Mr Trump's aides' collective defense of his recent actions describe what might be described as a why-not presidency, backed by a strong economy and record-high approval numbers, taking shape as he kicks his reelection machine into high gear.

The nonpartisan Gallup polling organization's latest poll puts the president's job approval at 49 per cent, the highest mark of his term. He only seems to grow more popular among his conservative base – which former GOP Congressman Joe Walsh who recently dropped his longshot primary challenge to the president – dubbed "a cult."

The Democratic presidential nominating race is devolving into an eat-their-own contest with candidates increasingly attacking each other rather than the impeached-and-acquitted president.

Given all that, why not take "The Beast" for a spin in front of tens of thousands of adoring supporters before Sunday's rain-delayed Daytona 500 NASCAR race in Florida – a key swing state yet again.

Given all that, why not add to your buck-the-conventional-wisdom bona fides by pardoning a slew of rich white guys? When the president explains his decisions to supporters at fundraisers and political rallies this week, it's a safe bet he will describe each one as victims of the same effort by an elite cabal to take him – and by extension, his supporters – down due to his success.

It's that feeling of victimhood that so connects with his base, many of whom believe were sold out of politicians from both parties via trade deals and other policies that left their wallets and economic prospects worse off.

Donald Trump fires Rod Blagojevich from The Celebrity Apprentice over 'inaccurate Harry Potter facts'

"The whole deal was a total SCAM. If I wasn't President, I'd be suing everyone all over the place..." Mr Trump claimed in a Tuesday morning tweet of the various investigations of him and his presidency, before adding this threat: "....BUT MAYBE I STILL WILL. WITCH HUNT!"

Why not?