WASHINGTON: President-elect Donald Trump announced plans to direct the Justice Department to aggressively pursue the death penalty.
Trump’s statement came after President Joe Biden commuted the death sentences of 37 federal inmates to life sentences.
“As soon as I am inaugurated, I will direct the Justice Department to vigorously pursue the death penalty,” Trump said.
Trump emphasized protecting American families and children from violent criminals, including rapists and murderers. He reiterated his “Law and Order” stance.
Trump criticized Biden’s decision to commute death sentences, which left only three federal inmates facing execution.
The three remaining cases involve individuals responsible for mass shootings or terrorist attacks: Robert Bowers, Dylann Roof, and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev.
Bowers killed 11 people in the 2018 Pittsburgh synagogue shooting, while Roof murdered nine in a 2015 Charleston church attack.
Tsarnaev was convicted for his role in the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing that killed three and injured hundreds.
Biden’s clemency actions cannot be reversed by Trump, but the incoming administration could seek the death penalty in new cases.
Trump’s tough-on-crime rhetoric has consistently advocated for harsher punishments, including the death penalty for violent offenders.
During his 2024 campaign, Trump pledged to seek the death penalty for drug traffickers and anyone involved in child trafficking.
In the final weeks of his campaign, Trump also promised to push for the death penalty for migrants who kill U.S. citizens.
Biden’s clemency decision drew mixed reactions, especially from victims’ families. Some expressed relief, while others voiced anger.
Marissa Gibson, widow of slain officer Bryan Hurst, criticized Biden’s decision to commute Daryl Lawrence’s sentence. Lawrence killed Hurst in 2005.
Gibson stated Lawrence knew the consequences of his violent actions and had made his choice to kill.
The U.S. government executed few individuals before Trump’s first term, with only three federal executions since 1988.
In 2019, Trump’s Attorney General William Barr announced the resumption of federal executions, sparking debates on capital punishment.
In 2020, the federal government executed 10 individuals, the most in a single year since 1896.
This was more than all 50 states combined in that same year. Federal executions had been halted for decades prior.
In addition to federal cases, there are over 2,000 individuals on death row in state prison systems across the country.
Biden’s commutations only apply to federal cases, as the president has no authority over state death penalties.
The future of the death penalty remains uncertain, but Trump’s administration is expected to push for its expansion.
