Former President Donald Trump advocates the death penalty for drug traffickers, calling it “the only way” to address America’s drug crisis. He first proposed this in 2018, stating, “If we don’t get tough on drug dealers, we’re wasting our time.”
Trump’s 2024 campaign agenda includes designating cartels as terrorist organizations, imposing naval embargoes, and using military force. He vows to “inflict maximum damage on cartel leadership” and pressure Congress to apply the death penalty to drug smugglers.
Legal experts doubt this plan’s feasibility. Law professor Jimmy Gurulé said it’s “not a serious recommendation,” as most drug offenses are prosecuted at the state level, where federal death penalty laws wouldn’t apply.
The death penalty is declining in the U.S., now legal in 27 states, with several states abolishing it in recent years. A Gallup poll shows 55% of Americans still support it for murderers, though support is waning.
Trump’s proposal also violates international human rights laws, which limit capital punishment to the most serious crimes. “It undermines the U.S.’s position” on human rights, Gurulé noted, aligning the country with notorious rights violators.
