You can take him at his word. A lot of people do.
Or you can try to infer his future actions from his past and present actions. Let’s examine those.
“‘He could have pardoned some or all of them before he left office between January 6 and January 20 last year,’ defense lawyer Jonathon Moseley, who represents accused Oath Keepers, said … this week. He pointed to earlier commitments from the former President including that he would help defendants with legal bills,” CNN reported here.
“Trump had made similar promises back when he was still serving as President,” the CNN story continues, “with some January 6 rioters jailed for the 14 days at the end of the presidency. Then too, Trump didn’t come through, nor has he helped January 6 criminal defendants with their legal bills.”
“Lawyers who represent multiple, high-profile people charged in the sprawling January 6 investigation aren’t changing their legal strategies because of the former President’s promises, according to the lawyers.”
It’s reasonable to infer from this that nobody, including those most affected — the defendants and their lawyers — are willing to believe his promises. Or you could choose to think he will turn over a new leaf.
That will require suspending belief.