Trump demands death penalty for DC murderers

President Donald Trump continues to crack down on crime, this time calling for capital punishment.

During Tuesday’s Cabinet meeting, Trump said he would be seeking the death penalty for anyone who was found guilty of murder in Washington, D.C. Trump acknowledged the severity of this proposal but said it was a “preventative” measure to significantly improve the safety and quality of life for residents in the nation’s capital.

‘We have no choice.’

“If somebody kills somebody in the capital — Washington, D.C. — we’re going to be seeking the death penalty,” Trump said.

“It’s a very strong preventative, and everybody that’s heard it agrees with it,” Trump added.

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“I don’t know if we’re ready for it in this country, but we have no choice,” Trump said. “So in D.C., in Washington, states are going to have to make their own decision, but if somebody kills somebody … it’s the death penalty.”

Trump’s call to action comes just two weeks after the administration federalized the Metropolitan Police Department and deployed the National Guard. Before Trump took matters into his own hands, D.C. had the fourth-highest homicide rate in the country, with 27.3 murders for every 100,000 residents in 2024, which is nearly six times higher than New York City.

After Trump took bold action to secure the city, D.C. managed to go nearly two weeks without a homicide.

RELATED: President Trump’s DC crime crackdown is getting results

Photo by MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images

During the Cabinet meeting, Trump addressed NTD News’ White House correspondent, Iris Tao, who recounted her own experience with violent crime in D.C.

Over two years ago, Tao said she was robbed at gunpoint and pistol-whipped by a young man in a ski mask in broad daylight, which she said “deeply traumatized” her and her family.

“I’m very grateful to God … but also to Mr. President,” Tao said. “Thank you for now making D.C. safer … on behalf of my parents and now my baby on the way.”

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