Trump announces death penalty policy for all murders in Washington DC
2 Min Read
President Donald Trump has unveiled a new policy seeking the death penalty for all murder convictions in Washington DC. The move is part of a broader federal effort to tackle violent crime in the US capital,
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Armed National Guard soldiers from West Virginia patrol the Mall near the Capitol in Washington, as part of President Donald Trump's order to impose federal law enforcement in the nation's capital, Tuesday, Aug. 26, 2025 (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
US President Donald Trump announced on Tuesday that the federal government will seek the death penalty for anyone convicted of murder in Washington DC, as part of a new initiative aimed at curbing violent crime in the capital.
“Anybody murders something in the capital. Capital – capital punishment,” Trump said during a cabinet meeting. “If somebody kills somebody in the capital, Washington, DC, we are going to be seeking the death penalty. That is a very strong preventative, and everybody that has heard it agrees with it. I do not know if we are ready for it in this country, but we have it. We have no choice.”
The Trump death penalty policy would apply specifically to crimes committed within the District of Columbia. Trump emphasized that while this measure is federal in scope, individual states would still be responsible for determining their own policies on capital punishment.
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The initiative is being presented as part of a broader federal crackdown on crime, particularly in Washington DC, which Trump described as suffering from some of the highest crime rates globally, “more than many of the most violent Third World Countries,” he claimed.
National Guard and police control
On August 11, Trump announced plans to take federal control of the DC police department and ordered the deployment of the National Guard to the capital.
According to a statement from a US defense official, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has directed that National Guardsmen stationed in Washington be equipped with weapons. The move comes amid growing concerns about law enforcement's ability to manage crime in the capital.
