USA: According to a Tuesday Rolling Stone report, former President Donald Trump has discussed the idea of broadcasting the execution of large groups of violent criminals in order to deter potential offenders.
Trump has previously called for quick trials and the death penalty for drug dealers and pedophiles, despite the fact that his campaign referred to the report as "ridiculous."
The left-wing publication claimed, citing "people familiar with the situation," that prior to announcing his bid for president in 2024 in November, Trump inquired with some of his associates about the viability of carrying out capital punishment by guillotine, hanging, and firing squad.
The article continued that Trump also "mused about the possibility" of developing a government-funded advertising campaign that would feature footage from these executions and discussed whether criminals could be put to death in groups.
One of the sources said, "The [former] president believes this would help instill the fear of God into violent criminals." According to a former White House official, Trump was a big supporter of the idea of killing many drug dealers and drug lords, saying that "'These people don't care about anything,' and that they run their drug empire and their deals from prison anyhow, and then they get back out on the street... and keep committing crimes. As a result, they should be eliminated rather than imprisoned.
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The article was dismissed by a Trump spokesman as "more absurd and fake news from idiots who have no idea what they're talking about." "Or these people are fabricating lies out of thin air," the spokesman continued, "or Rolling Stone is allowing themselves to be duped by these morons."
Trump has nonetheless supported the death penalty for more than ten years, saying in 2012 that "perverts" who kidnap children should be given a "fast trial, [and] the] death penalty." In 2020, he demanded the same punishment for those who kill police officers, praised China for executing drug dealers, and claimed that as a result, the nation has "very little, if any," drug-related problems.
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During Trump's presidency, thirteen federal inmates were executed, compared to just three between 1963 and 2020. Since 2013, eight to 39 death sentences have been carried out in state facilities annually, making state executions more frequent. Despite the fact that some states permit the use of the electric chair or firing squads, all executions carried out during the Trump administration were carried out by lethal injection.