US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday he would seek the death penalty for murderers in Washington, as part of his fight against what he described as an out-of-control crime spree in the US capital.
"If someone kills someone in Washington, we will seek the death penalty," Trump said at a White House cabinet meeting.
"It's a powerful preventative measure and everyone who has heard of it agrees."
The death penalty proposal comes after Republican Trump deployed the National Guard to Democratic-led Washington, D.C., and took federal control of the city's police department earlier this month.
Washington abolished the death penalty in 1981.
The US capital has a unique legal status as it is not a state and operates under an agreement with the federal government, which limits its autonomy and allows Congress extraordinary control over local affairs.
Trump used this legal space to deploy the National Guard in Washington earlier this month to combat what he described as crime and the high number of homeless people.
The American president boasted on Monday that several days without murders have been recorded in the city and announced that he will take steps to beautify the city, which is home to the White House, the US Congress and other important American institutions.
Since Sunday, National Guard members have begun moving through the streets of Washington with weapons.
Trump has said he is considering similar measures in other Democratic-led cities, including Chicago, New York and Baltimore./ REL
