President-elect Trump has announced his intention to seek the death penalty for certain federal criminal defendants, in contrast to President Biden's recent decision to commute the death sentences of 37 inmates.
Trump made the pledge on his Truth Social platform, stating that he will direct the Justice Department to vigorously pursue the death penalty to protect American families and children from violent offenders.
The move by Biden to reclassify the death sentences to life without parole has sparked criticism from both Republicans and Democrats. The White House cited concerns that the commutations would prevent the incoming Trump administration from carrying out execution sentences that would not be handed down under current policy and practice.
Only three federal inmates failed to meet Biden's requirements for having their sentences commuted. They include Robert Bowers, the perpetrator of the Tree of Life Synagogue shooting, Dylann Roof, a White supremacist responsible for the Emanuel AME Church massacre, and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, involved in the Boston Marathon bombing.
Trump's spokesman criticized Biden's actions, calling it a 'slap in the face to the victims, their families, and their loved ones.' During Trump's first term, 13 federal prisoners were executed, marking the highest number under any president in a century. In contrast, Biden declared a moratorium on federal executions upon taking office in 2021.
