President Donald Trump said Tuesday that his administration will seek the reinstatement of the death penalty for murder cases in the nation’s capital, a policy that he has wanted to expand nationwide.

“If somebody kills somebody in the capital, Washington, D.C., we’re going to be seeking the death penalty,” Trump said during a lengthy Cabinet meeting at the White House.

Trump suggested that such a policy would potentially deter people from committing murder, saying that capital punishment is a “very strong preventative.”

“We have no choice. So in D.C. … if somebody kills somebody … it’s the death penalty,” said Trump, who made clear that other states would have to make their individual decisions about the issue.

The president’s comment comes amid his administration’s aggressive efforts

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