President-elect Donald Trump plans to reinstate the federal death penalty. He announced this after President Joe Biden commuted 37 death sentences to life imprisonment. Trump shared his decision on Truth Social, stressing his focus on law and order.
“I will direct the Justice Department to vigorously pursue the death penalty,” Trump wrote. He emphasized protecting Americans from violent offenders. This stance reflects his tough-on-crime approach during the 2024 campaign.
Biden’s clemency leaves three federal inmates on death row. These individuals include Robert Bowers, the Pittsburgh synagogue shooter; Dylann Roof, who attacked a Black church in Charleston; and Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev. While Biden’s decisions cannot be undone, Trump can apply the death penalty in new cases.
During his campaign, Trump promised harsher punishments for violent crimes. He supported the death penalty for drug dealers, human traffickers, and migrants who kill U.S. citizens. He also proposed strict laws to target child traffickers.
Reactions to Biden’s clemency decisions vary. Some families of inmates expressed relief. Others, like the widow of a police officer killed by a commuted inmate, criticized Biden’s actions.
Federal executions were rare before Trump’s first term. Between 1988 and 2019, only three occurred. Under Trump, the federal government executed 10 people in 2020, the highest number since 1896. This exceeded the combined total of all state executions that year.
Over 2,000 inmates remain on death row in state prisons. Biden’s actions do not affect these cases. Trump’s administration plans to expand the use of the death penalty at the federal level. (CNN)
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