President Donald Trump announced Tuesday that his administration will seek the death penalty in murder cases occurring in Washington, DC, framing the move as a strong deterrent to violent crime in the nation’s capital.
“Anybody murders something in the capital, capital punishment. Capital, capital punishment,” Trump said during a Cabinet meeting at the White House. “If somebody kills somebody in the capital, Washington, DC, we’re going to be seeking the death penalty.”
The president described the policy as a “very strong preventative” measure against violent crime. “I don’t know if we’re ready for it in this country… we have no choice,” he added.
Trump noted that the measure would apply specifically to the District of Columbia, while states would retain the authority to determine their own stance on capital punishment.
It remains unclear how the administration intends to enforce the directive. Washington, DC, does not have its own death penalty statute, but the federal government does. In the District, most serious criminal cases are prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office — a federal agency — rather than a local district attorney, giving the federal government a unique level of control over criminal prosecutions in the city.
Legal analysts say implementing such a policy would likely involve using federal statutes to pursue capital punishment in eligible murder cases, but noted it could spark legal and political challenges given the city’s historical opposition to the death penalty.
No further details were immediately provided by the White House.
