It should have been obvious what they were going to try to do to his supporters. He’s either clueless or was just looking out for himself. Either one is disqualifying in my book. I heard McConnell gave him an ultimatum that if he pardoned them that he was going to be convicted. He should have called his bluff. It’s not like he couldn’t have challenged this illegal impeachment anyway since you cannot impeach a former president.
The most sound, irrefutable defense Trump has had to all the accusations of him inciting an “insurrection” on January 6th is that he clearly told the crowd at his gathering to go over to the Capitol to demonstrate peacefully there.
Issuing a blanket pardon to all those clowns who took it upon themselves to storm the Capitol building would have completely undermined his defense against these accusations.