'As soon as I am inaugurated, I will direct the Justice Department to vigorously pursue the death penalty to protect American families,' says Trump
US President-elect Donald Trump vowed Tuesday to reinstate federal executions as he criticized President Joe Biden's decision to commute the death sentences of 37 federal inmates.
Trump made the pledge on his social media platform, Truth Social, stating, “As soon as I am inaugurated, I will direct the Justice Department to vigorously pursue the death penalty to protect American families and children from violent rapists, murderers, and monsters. We will be a Nation of Law and Order again!”
It was in response to Biden's announcement earlier this week to commute the sentences of 37 of 40 federal death row inmates to life imprisonment without parole, a move the administration described as a step toward a more humane criminal justice system.
The commutations have sparked a national debate about the death penalty's morality and the balance between justice for victims' families and the ethics of state-sanctioned executions.