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On Tuesday, President Trump announced his intent to advocate for the death penalty in murder cases within Washington, D.C. as part of his broader strategy to address crime in the nation’s capital.
“If someone commits murder in the capital, they will face capital punishment,” Trump declared during his Cabinet meeting. “If someone takes a life in D.C., we will pursue the death penalty— it’s a potent deterrent.”
Trump added, “Many agree with this stance, though our nation may not be fully prepared for it. Nevertheless, we must act. In D.C., this policy will stand, while other states may need to make their own decisions. The death penalty will be applied if someone is killed.”
He mentioned Iris Tao, a journalist with The Epoch Times, who had shared her experience of being attacked in Washington, D.C., earlier at the meeting.
The death penalty is currently not practiced in the District of Columbia. It was abolished by the Supreme Court in 1972, and subsequent efforts to reinstate it have not succeeded.
The president first sent federal law enforcement into Washington in Aug. 7 and days later, he deployed the National Guard to patrol the city.
Recently, crime rates had slowed, with no homicides reported over a 12-day period until a fatal shooting occurred earlier on Tuesday in Southeast Washington. The Metropolitan Police Department reported discovering a man “unconscious and breathing, with a gunshot wound.”
The White House had previously touted preliminary police data showing no homicides reported since Aug. 14.
The White House on Tuesday said that over 1,094 arrests have been made since Aug. 7. Eight gang members have been arrested, including from MS-13 and Tren de Aragua, two missing children have been rescued, 115 firearms have been seized and 49 homeless encampments have been cleared, according to the White House.
D.C. does not have the death penalty and the city council repealed the practice in 1981.
Trump ran in his 2024 campaign on restoring use of the death penalty, saying he is in favor of seeking the death penalty for lesser offenses like for drug traffickers.
