President Donald Trump said that he signed an executive order requiring a “mandatory death penalty” for “anyone who murders a police officer,” during his address to Congress on Tuesday.
Trump has long featured a tough-on-crime approach to his politics and has reinforced his commitment to this approach.
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Trump has long promoted a tough-on-crime agenda and sought to paint Democratic-led cities as besieged by violence, despite statistics showing a downward trend in violent crime after a coronavirus pandemic-era spike.
Trump’s comments also echo his campaign trail rhetoric about the need for more aggressive policing. He suggested last year that “one rough hour” of law enforcement action would tamp down retail theft. He has also advocated ensuring that officers “have immunity from prosecution.”
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While Trump is touting his support of police, one of his first actions after returning to the White House in January was granting clemency to the 1,500-plus people charged with crimes in the Jan. 6 U.S. Capitol riot, including dozens of people who assaulted police.
Rep. Veronica Escobar, D-Texas, first shouted “January 6th” as Trump recounted his plans for combatting crime throughout the country. At least a dozen Democrats joined in the repeated chant as Trump discussed the need to crack down on violent criminals.
Those pardoned include more than 250 people convicted of assault charges, including people who attacked police with makeshift weapons such as flagpoles, a hockey stick and a crutch.
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Many of the crimes were captured on surveillance and body camera footage and detailed in harrowing court testimony from officers who desperately fought to protect the Capitol.
* Original Article:
https://www.irishstar.com/news/trump-make-death-penalty-mandatory-34797392.amp