Donald Trump called for anyone who commits murder in Washington, D.C. to face the death penalty. 

The president, during a Cabinet meeting on Tuesday, asserted that he is not a dictator merely because he understands ‘how to stop crime’ through his federal oversight of the D.C. police force.

And to drive the message home, Trump is warning criminals that if they commit murder in the nation’s capital, they might face the death penalty. 

‘It’s a very strong preventative,’ he said. ‘I don’t know if we’re ready for it … but we have no choice.’

The last execution in D.C. was in 1957 when a jury mandated the death penalty for a man who killed an off-duty policy officer.

In 1992, when the city’s murder rate was higher, around 67 percent of D.C. residents chose not to reintroduce the death penalty. This decision came after Congress initiated a referendum following the murder of a Senate aide in the city.

Despite facing criticism and local opposition, Trump considers his anti-crime measures effective and has suggested deploying forces to tackle violent crime in other cities, such as Baltimore and Chicago.

He remarked that Democratic Illinois Governor JB Pritzker should contact him to ‘request troops’ and ‘invite’ him into the area. However, it’s still uncertain if he will decide to send the National Guard there or to another location.

President Donald Trump called for the death penalty to be imposed against people convicted of murder in Washington, D.C. 

Recently, the National Guard and federal agents were deployed to Washington, D.C. as part of the federal control of the police force under Trump’s initiative to curb violent crime.

‘The Democrats like crime,’ Trump said at the White House. ‘They’re against crime prevention.’

Trump predicted that crime will be one of the biggest issues in the 2026 midterm elections. 

Earlier, he called left-wing cable network MSNBC worse than violent Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua.

Boasting to the media about his law enforcement efforts in the District, the president mentioned a video showing National Guard troops confronting a street gang and humorously suggested it might have been staff from his least liked news network.

‘They showed one scene where a bunch of Tren de Aragua guys or whatever, maybe MS-13, maybe MSDNC, okay? Because to me they’re worse,’ Trump said during the more than three-hour Cabinet meeting, eliciting laughter from the room.

‘I think they’re worse – MSNBC may be as worse than (sic) Tren de Aragua,’ the president said. ‘Real scum, real scum – real dishonest people.’

The last two weeks have established a new normal where rifle-wielding members of the National Guard and federal agents with the FBI, DEA, ATF and DHS are seen patrolling the District’s streets. More than 2,000 armed members of the National Guard are currently on duty in D.C. 

Flanked by Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and surrounded by his other Cabinet secretaries, Trump spoke on a range of topics at his meeting on Tuesday, including his initiative to end violent crime in D.C.

Since the federal takeover began on August 7, 2025, the Justice Department claims there have been more than 1,000 arrests, including a significant number of immigration-related detainments.

During a Cabinet meeting on Tuesday, August 26, 2025, Trump detailed the National Guard he has brought in to patrol D.C. for violent crime are ‘tough people’ who have taken down gangs

At least 300 people were taken into custody for lack of legal immigration status and 111 illegal firearms were seized in the first few weeks of the operation.

Trump even paused the meeting to allow a member of the press to share her testimonial on how she was ‘savagely mugged’ and held at gunpoint.

Iris Tao, a reporter with NTD News, explained how she was pistol whipped two years ago when she refused to hand over her phone, wallet and laptop to a man in a ski mask wielding a firearm.

‘That has deeply traumatized myself and my family,’ she divulged.

‘It’s amazing you weren’t shot,’ Trump replied.

‘I’m very blessed and that’s why having this opportunity to stand here and share my story today… Mr. President, thank you for now making D.C. safer for us, for our families.’

Trump then said that there are ‘other reporters and journalists and good people’ who have been ‘attacked violently’ in D.C. in an effort to exhibit how everyone is impacted by the crime.

‘I bet you see a big difference on the street right now,’ the president touted.