President Donald Trump declared Tuesday that federal prosecutors will seek the death penalty in every murder case committed in Washington, D.C., calling the measure a “very strong preventative” against violent crime. The directive was issued during a televised Cabinet meeting at the White House on 26 Aug. 2025. The announcement escalates a month-long crackdown in the nation’s capital, where the White House has assumed temporary control of the Metropolitan Police Department and initially deployed roughly 800 National Guard troops, later reinforced by units from six additional states. Federal and National Guard personnel have made more than 1,000 arrests since 11 Aug., and the city recorded 12 straight days without a homicide before a killing early Tuesday, according to Justice Department figures. Washington abolished capital punishment in 1981 after a 1972 Supreme Court ruling. Because adult felony cases in the District are handled by the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the Justice Department can pursue capital charges, but legal specialists caution that securing death sentences from local juries—who have historically opposed executions—could prove difficult. U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro said prosecutors are already weighing death sentences in several pending homicide prosecutions, including the May shooting of two Israeli Embassy staff members. Civil-rights groups and city officials, who contend that violent crime is declining, are expected to challenge the policy, and Trump’s reversal of the 2021 federal execution moratorium imposed by former President Joe Biden may face further court scrutiny.