U.S. President-elect Donald Trump said on Tuesday he will direct his Justice Department to “vigorously pursue” the death penalty to protect Americans from “violent rapists, murderers, and monsters” when he takes power on Jan. 20.
Trump’s statement on his social media platform Truth Social was in response to President Joe Biden’s announcement on Monday that he had commuted the sentences of 37 out of 40 federal inmates on death row, converting them to life in prison without parole.
“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,” Trump said.
Federal Executions To Restart
Trump restarted federal executions during his first term in office from 2017 to 2021 after a nearly 20-year pause.
Biden, who ran for president opposing the death penalty, put federal executions on hold when he took office in January 2021.
Unlike executive orders, clemency decisions cannot be reversed by a president’s successor, although the death penalty can be sought more aggressively in future cases.
The Trump transition team on Monday had denounced Biden’s decision, calling it abhorrent and favoring convicts who are “among the worst killers in the world.”
Trump 2.0 And The World
Trump’s return to the White House on January 20 as President is likely to change several things globally. He has been vocal about several of his policies – most of which follow his ‘America First’ policy. This includes immigration and inflation within the USA.
Trump has also claimed that on a global front, he aims to end the war in West Asia and Russia-Ukraine. His policies also include heavy tariffs on imported goods in the US.
He has also threatened BRICS nations with 100% tariffs if the countries create a new currency or support another currency to replace the US dollar. In addition to foreign policy, analysts expect Trump to show a cold shoulder to the WHO and climate change treaties.
(with inputs from Reuters)
