In a provocative Christmas Day message, President-elect Donald Trump lambasted President Joe Biden’s recent decision to commute the sentences of 37 federal death row inmates, directing the spared individuals to “go to hell.” This statement, delivered via Trump’s Truth Social platform, underscores his commitment to reinstating capital punishment upon taking office.
Biden’s commutation, announced earlier this week, reduced the sentences of 37 out of 40 federal death row inmates to life imprisonment without parole. This move aligns with his administration’s moratorium on federal executions, reflecting a shift towards reevaluating the application of the death penalty in the United States.
Trump’s response was unequivocal: “To the 37 most violent criminals, who killed, raped, and plundered like virtually no one before them, but were just given, incredibly, a pardon by Sleepy Joe Biden. I refuse to wish a Merry Christmas to those lucky ‘souls’ but, instead, will say, GO TO HELL!”
He further criticized the current administration, stating, “The Radical Left Lunatics… are constantly trying to obstruct our Court System and our Elections and are always going after the Great Citizens and Patriots of the United States but, in particular, their Political Opponent, ME.”
During his previous term, Trump oversaw 13 federal executions, marking a significant resurgence of capital punishment at the federal level. In contrast, public support for the death penalty has been declining, with recent Gallup polls indicating a drop from 70% in 2007 to about 50% in 2024.
As Trump prepares to assume the presidency once more, his statements suggest a forthcoming policy shift aimed at reinstating and potentially expanding the use of capital punishment in federal cases. This stance is poised to reignite national debates over the ethical and legal implications of the death penalty in the contemporary justice system.
