US President Donald Trump on Wednesday said that his administration will seek the death penalty in all murder cases in Washington, DC, a move that could collide with longstanding city law and resistance from juries.
“Anybody murders something in the capital, capital punishment . Capital, capital punishment,” Trump declared during a Cabinet meeting. “It'll be a crime free city. By the way, speaking of that, anybody murders something in the capital. Capital punishment. If somebody kills somebody in the capital, Washington DC, we're going to be seeking the death penalty.”
The president framed capital punishment as a “very strong preventative” measure but did not provide specifics. He noted that while states must decide for themselves, prosecutors in the nation’s capital would pursue executions in eligible cases.
“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...”
Legal hurdles in DC
Washington DC has not had a death penalty for more than four decades, BBC reported. The Supreme Court nullified the city’s statute in 1972, and the council repealed it in 1981. A 2002 referendum pushed by Congress also saw residents overwhelmingly reject reinstatement.
Most murders in the city are tried in DC Superior Court, where capital punishment is not an option. However, the US attorney’s office in Washington, unlike in any other jurisdiction, handles both local and federal cases and could seek the death penalty under federal law.
“We will use all legal sanctions and sentences called for by law,” US Attorney Jeanine Pirro said when pressed on whether her office would pursue executions, BBC reported.
Trump’s broader death penalty agenda
The announcement builds on Trump’s January executive order reinstating the federal death penalty, overturning the Biden administration’s moratorium. During his first term, Trump oversaw 13 federal executions in just six months, the highest in modern history, including one just five days before leaving office.
His order described executions as “an essential tool for deterring and punishing those who would commit the most heinous crimes.”
Crime, troops, and political tensions
Trump’s remarks came as about 800 National Guard troops and hundreds of federal officers remain stationed in Washington, DC, part of a broader federal crackdown he says could extend to Chicago and Baltimore. He has denounced the capital as gripped by “complete and total lawlessness.”
DC Mayor Muriel Bowser pushed back, noting that violent crime has dropped after a 2023 spike. “We are at a 30-year violent crime low,” she said, dismissing Trump’s rhetoric as exaggerated.
Illinois Governor JB Pritzker also condemned Trump’s comments about Chicago, accusing him of “attempting to manufacture a crisis.”
“Anybody murders something in the capital, capital punishment . Capital, capital punishment,” Trump declared during a Cabinet meeting. “It'll be a crime free city. By the way, speaking of that, anybody murders something in the capital. Capital punishment. If somebody kills somebody in the capital, Washington DC, we're going to be seeking the death penalty.”
The president framed capital punishment as a “very strong preventative” measure but did not provide specifics. He noted that while states must decide for themselves, prosecutors in the nation’s capital would pursue executions in eligible cases.
“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...”
VIDEO | Washington DC: USA president Donald Trump says, "It'll be a crime free city. By the way, speaking of that, anybody murders something in the capital. Capital punishment. If somebody kills somebody in the capital, Washington DC, we're going to be seeking the death penalty.… pic.twitter.com/LUyW3kDGI9
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) August 26, 2025
Legal hurdles in DC
Washington DC has not had a death penalty for more than four decades, BBC reported. The Supreme Court nullified the city’s statute in 1972, and the council repealed it in 1981. A 2002 referendum pushed by Congress also saw residents overwhelmingly reject reinstatement.
Most murders in the city are tried in DC Superior Court, where capital punishment is not an option. However, the US attorney’s office in Washington, unlike in any other jurisdiction, handles both local and federal cases and could seek the death penalty under federal law.
“We will use all legal sanctions and sentences called for by law,” US Attorney Jeanine Pirro said when pressed on whether her office would pursue executions, BBC reported.
Trump’s broader death penalty agenda
The announcement builds on Trump’s January executive order reinstating the federal death penalty, overturning the Biden administration’s moratorium. During his first term, Trump oversaw 13 federal executions in just six months, the highest in modern history, including one just five days before leaving office.
His order described executions as “an essential tool for deterring and punishing those who would commit the most heinous crimes.”
Crime, troops, and political tensions
Trump’s remarks came as about 800 National Guard troops and hundreds of federal officers remain stationed in Washington, DC, part of a broader federal crackdown he says could extend to Chicago and Baltimore. He has denounced the capital as gripped by “complete and total lawlessness.”
DC Mayor Muriel Bowser pushed back, noting that violent crime has dropped after a 2023 spike. “We are at a 30-year violent crime low,” she said, dismissing Trump’s rhetoric as exaggerated.
Illinois Governor JB Pritzker also condemned Trump’s comments about Chicago, accusing him of “attempting to manufacture a crisis.”
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