If there’s one thing Donald Trump promised ahead of his second term as President of the United States, it was ruthless efficiency as it pertains to fulfilling the promises that got him elected.
As such, it can hardly come as a surprise that Trump – who was sworn in just two days ago, on Monday, January 20 – has already moved to sign into effect several executive orders.
The 78-year-old officially became the US’s 47th president earlier this week, having previously held the position between 2017 and 2021. And while much can be said regarding Trump’s policies and attitude towards… well, just about anything, no one can accuse him of resting on his laurels.
A whole host of executive orders – those which aren’t required to be approved by Congress – have already been signed, including one focusing on the death penalty.
Since the Biden administration took over from Trump in 2021, a moratorium on federal executions has been in place. Just three defendants remained on federal death row when former president Joe Biden converted 37 sentences to life in prison.
Yet in a new executive order, Trump blamed his predecessor for “commuting the sentences of 37 of the 40 most vile and sadistic rapists, child molesters, and murderers on Federal death row: remorseless criminals who brutalized young children, strangled and drowned their victims, and hunted strangers for sport.”
The new order issued by Trump states that ‘capital punishment is an essential tool for deterring and punishing those who would commit the most heinous crimes and acts of lethal violence against American citizens’.
It’s worth remembering that during Trump’s first term in office (2017-2021) his administration carried out 13 federal executions – more than under any president in modern history.
Trump’s executive order
Trump’s new executive order on the death penalty reads: “Before, during, and after the founding of the United States, our cities, States, and country have continuously relied upon capital punishment as the ultimate deterrent and only proper punishment for the vilest crimes.
“Our Founders knew well that only capital punishment can bring justice and restore order in response to such evil. For this and other reasons, capital punishment continues to enjoy broad popular support.