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 individual decisions about the issue.
The president’s comment comes amid his administration’s aggressive efforts in re