Death penalty could return in nation's capital under Trump’s DC crime crackdown
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President Donald Trump announces plans to pursue death penalty in Washington for murder cases as part of his crime crackdown in the nation's capital.
Trump says he plans to revive death penalty in Washington amid crime crackdown Video

Trump says he plans to revive death penalty in Washington amid crime crackdown

President Donald Trump said he will be seeking the death penalty in Washington, D.C., for those convicted of murder.

President Donald Trump said he plans to pursue reviving the death penalty in Washington for those convicted of murder amid his crime crackdown in the nation’s capital. 

"If somebody kills somebody in the capital, Washington, D.C., we're going to be seeking the death penalty," Trump told reporters during a Tuesday Cabinet meeting. "And that's a very strong preventative. And everybody that's heard it agrees with it. I don't know if we're ready for it in this country, but we have it. … We have no choice." 

The 1972 Supreme Court decision in Furman v. Georgia determined that the death penalty violated the Eighth Amendment's provision barring cruel and unusual punishment, and the D.C. Council officially rescinded the death penalty in 1981, according to the nonprofit organization the Death Penalty Information Center. 

SOME NATIONAL GUARD TROOPS ARE NOW ARMED IN WASHINGTON, DC

Trump speaks at a Cabinet meeting

President Donald Trump holds a Cabinet meeting with members of his administration in the Cabinet Room of the White House Aug. 26, 2025, in Washington. This is the seventh Cabinet meeting of Trump's second term.  (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

No additional details were immediately available. The White House referred Fox News Digital back to Trump's comments at the Cabinet meeting. 

On Aug. 11, Trump unveiled plans to deploy troops from the D.C. National Guard and to federalize the Metropolitan Police Department to tackle crime in Washington. Since then, U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro said that there have been more than 1,000 arrests and, as of Monday, 12 consecutive days without a homicide in the capital. 

HUNDREDS ARRESTED AS TRUMP’S WASHINGTON, DC, CRIME CRACKDOWN HITS FULL STRIDE

Trump speaks with National Guard and law enforcement personnel

President Donald Trump speaks with members of law enforcement and National Guard soldiers, Aug. 21, 2025, in Washington.  (Jacquelyn Martin/AP Photo)

Trump initially tapped 800 D.C. National Guard troops as part of his effort to cut down on crime in Washington, but now, National Guard troops from Ohio, West Virginia, South Carolina, Louisiana, Mississippi and Tennessee also have deployed to Washington to support the Trump administration’s effort.

The 1973 Home Rule Act authorizes a temporary federal takeover of the Metropolitan Police Department for emergency situations up to 30 days. But after 30 days, Congress must approve any extensions. 

Similar restrictions don't exist for D.C. National Guard troops in the Home Rule Act, however. 

This is a breaking news story and will be updated. 

NATIONAL GUARD TROOPS FROM SIX RED STATES HEAD TO DC TO HELP TACKLE CRIME

national guard at union station

National Guard troops were stationed at Union Station as commuters and tourists arrived.  (Fox News Digital/Emma Woodhead)


 

Diana Stancy is a politics reporter with Fox News Digital covering the White House. 

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/death-penalty-could-return-nations-capital-under-trumps-dc-crime-crackdown
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