Former President Donald Trump will promote the use of the death penalty as a major part of his 2024 presidential campaign, pushing for the execution of individuals convicted of non-capital crimes and the implementation of old and brutal means of killing them.
Research shows that the death penalty does not deter crime. It is disproportionately used in sentencing of individuals from communities of color, and is demonstrably problematic for a variety of other reasons, not the least of which is that a significant proportion of people who are sentenced to death are, in fact, innocent of the crime for which they have been convicted.
Yet sources close to Trump indicate that he will also promote the idea of executing individuals convicted of drug crimes as well.
Rolling Stone reports that Trump has been asking his campaign advisers questions about the death penalty, including what they think about reintroducing firing squads. Trump has also discussed use of the guillotine — which hasn’t been used as a form of capital punishment by any nation since the 1970s — sources speaking to the magazine said. Further, the former president has indicated his support for putting those convicted of drug crimes to death, a practice that experts say violates international law and that doesn’t work to deter such activities.
“The former president believes this would help put the fear of God into violent criminals,” one of the sources said. “He wanted to do some of these things when he was in office, but for whatever reasons didn’t have the chance.”
A spokesperson for Trump called their reporting “ridiculous” and “fake news.” Yet Trump’s own public statements on the issue in the past, and his actions in the final months of his tenure as president, when he drastically increased the rate of federal executions, align with this new reporting. In fact, more federal executions took place in Trump’s final month as president than the total number in the decades preceding his presidency, one watchdog group has also noted.
Trump’s announcement for his 2024 presidential run mentioned expanding use of the death penalty, including for those convicted of drug crimes.
While a number of states still have the firing squad as a possible option for capital crimes, only one state, Utah, has used it in the past century. The practice is considered by many to be a form of cruel and unusual punishment, which is illegal under the terms of the U.S. Constitution.
A moratorium on all executions at the federal level was reinstated in 2021 by Attorney General Merrick Garland, and Trump’s expected opponent in the 2024 presidential election, current President Joe Biden, has campaigned on abolishing the death penalty altogether. Yet one form of the death penalty — death by incarceration — still remains in place, and Biden has not expressed any opinion on that issue.
Help us Prepare for Trump’s Day One
Trump is busy getting ready for Day One of his presidency – but so is Truthout.
Trump has made it no secret that he is planning a demolition-style attack on both specific communities and democracy as a whole, beginning on his first day in office. With over 25 executive orders and directives queued up for January 20, he’s promised to “launch the largest deportation program in American history,” roll back anti-discrimination protections for transgender students, and implement a “drill, drill, drill” approach to ramp up oil and gas extraction.
Organizations like Truthout are also being threatened by legislation like HR 9495, the “nonprofit killer bill” that would allow the Treasury Secretary to declare any nonprofit a “terrorist-supporting organization” and strip its tax-exempt status without due process. Progressive media like Truthout that has courageously focused on reporting on Israel’s genocide in Gaza are in the bill’s crosshairs.
As journalists, we have a responsibility to look at hard realities and communicate them to you. We hope that you, like us, can use this information to prepare for what’s to come.
And if you feel uncertain about what to do in the face of a second Trump administration, we invite you to be an indispensable part of Truthout’s preparations.
In addition to covering the widespread onslaught of draconian policy, we’re shoring up our resources for what might come next for progressive media: bad-faith lawsuits from far-right ghouls, legislation that seeks to strip us of our ability to receive tax-deductible donations, and further throttling of our reach on social media platforms owned by Trump’s sycophants.
We’re preparing right now for Trump’s Day One: building a brave coalition of movement media; reaching out to the activists, academics, and thinkers we trust to shine a light on the inner workings of authoritarianism; and planning to use journalism as a tool to equip movements to protect the people, lands, and principles most vulnerable to Trump’s destruction.
We urgently need your help to prepare. As you know, our December fundraiser is our most important of the year and will determine the scale of work we’ll be able to do in 2025. We’ve set two goals: to raise $115,000 in one-time donations and to add 1365 new monthly donors by midnight on December 31.
Today, we’re asking all of our readers to start a monthly donation or make a one-time donation – as a commitment to stand with us on day one of Trump’s presidency, and every day after that, as we produce journalism that combats authoritarianism, censorship, injustice, and misinformation. You’re an essential part of our future – please join the movement by making a tax-deductible donation today.
If you have the means to make a substantial gift, please dig deep during this critical time!
With gratitude and resolve,
Maya, Negin, Saima, and Ziggy